A few days ago, poster SamassaVeneessa posted a link about a company called AlphaKat, and asked for comments on whether it was too good to be true. I checked out some of the videos, which sounded intriguing but highly improbable, so I did some digging.

First, there is nothing that I am aware of that is capable of unraveling cellulose and turning it into a fuel in 3 minutes. So it definitely sounds too good to be true. Second, people too often ascribe magical properties to catalysts. Catalysts can speed up a reaction, but they do not allow you to bypass physical laws.

However, I usually give people the benefit of the doubt, and I investigate. This sounded pretty intriguing, until I worked my way to the website of Michael Spitzauer, who was a partner of the inventor and is now trying to implement the technology in the U.S. The website was incredibly cheesy and full of fractured English. If you dig, you can see that he has made his wife – a former cocktail waitress - a Senior Vice President of the company.

Clean Energy Projects

At this point, things are starting to smell funny. Digging a little deeper, I found that the guy has been convicted of fraud, and has been involved in multiple shady dealings. He was also scammed by a Nigerian advance fee scheme, so may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer:

Austrian Fights Extradition

Something's Rotten - Green Power

Discussion on Snopes' Message Board

In that last thread, he says the oil companies are out to get him, and this is why his past has been exposed.

So, we have a process that sounds too good to be true and the involvement of a convicted fraudster who is now saying the oil companies are out to get him. Not knowing more, I would steer clear. This all sounds much like the claims that Xethanol was making. One of their founders was a convicted felon as well. What happened? Fraudulent claims, and Xethanol finally went bankrupt (as I had predicted) because they pulled in investors based on false claims:

Xethanol Now Defunct

Finally, I should point out that this Spitzauer guy has split from Dr. Koch. So it is still possible – albeit I think remotely – that there is something here worth merit. But, if you want to put the final nail in the coffin, test the machine with some biomass that is spiked with a radioisotope (C14, maybe) that would show up in the product. I will bet money that the spiked carbon doesn't show up in the hydrocarbon, and that will be the end of that. If I were a prospective investor, I would insist upon such a test.

You can see interviews with both Dr. Koch and Spitzauer (who again says the oil companies are out to get him) here:

Interviews with Koch and Spitzauer

There's a comment in today's NYT regarding the national power grid.

Home-Grown Power

The author suggests that there's no need for a large increase in cross-continental power transmission.

E. Swanson

Exxon-funded scientist testifies to Senate Environmental and Public Works committee, claims that times were prosperous 80 million years ago.

Happer: Many people don't realize that over geological time we're really living in a CO2 famine. Almost never have Co2 levels been as low ... 285, that's almost unheard of, most of the time its at least 1000. .. The Earth was just fine in those times. We evolved as a species when Co2 levels were 3 or 4 times what they are now. Oceans were fine. Plants were fine. ... So its baffling to me that we're so frightened.

Boxer: This is a weird kind of place you've taken us to. You're taking us back how many years to when we were fine.

Happer. About 80 million years ago ...

Boxer. I don't know how to say this. A lot has happened since then in terms of where people are living and working. We have a society now. So, to say go back to those days, ... either I'm missing something or you just don't seem to think times have changed.

Happer: While I don't think that the laws of nature or physics have changed. [Said snidely ...] or chemistry have changed in 80 million years. 80 million years ago the Earth was a prosperous place. There is no reason to think that it will suddenly become bad now ...

Where to begin? OK, strictly speaking, the ecology of the planet was "prosperous", but would we really like to find out how many humans can survive a return to the cretaceous period? Of course humans evolved during previous high CO2 periods; in a broad evolutionary sense, we've been evolving since life began on the planet. And how does a scientist confuse the pleistocene with the cretaceous? I think I know: he's paid by the energy industry to disinform. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_C._Marshall_Institute

Friday night failures:

17th bank fails this year

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- State bank regulators closed Freedom Bank of Georgia Friday, making it the 17th bank to fail this year.

The announcement marks the eighth consecutive week that a bank failure has been reported after the stock market's closing bell on a Friday.

Curious that Georgia is such a hot spot.

California and Florida you can see - they were Ground Zero for the mortgage crisis. But why Georgia? Banking rules that encouraged risky banks to settle there, maybe? Or was it that widespread mortgage scam?

All Wisconsin Retirement System pension checks to see a cut in May

For the first time, every retired public employee who is a member of the Wisconsin Retirement System will get a smaller pension check this spring.

Retirement payments will shrink by 2.1 percent, effective May 1, for the 146,000 retirees whose pensions are funded solely by the Core Fund, the primary pension account, the state Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) said Friday. The reason: the stock market’s skid in late 2008.

"The sizeable decline in the value of WRS assets due to the global economic crisis made this year’s negative annuity adjustment necessary," said agency Secretary Dave Stella.

According to Peter Ward and Robert Brownlee in their book 'The Life and Death of Planet Earth', the big-picture geologically long-term trend is for CO2 levels to slowly decrease over time as the Earth's interior cools, thus slowing then stopping plate tectonics and shutting down the silicate/carbonate rock weathering/volcanic CO2 cycle. Thie (and others') theory is that as Earth's temperature increases, plant growth increases, rain fall increases in places, and therefore weathering increases. CO2 is sequestered into rocks and ocean silts as part of mineral compunds and atmospheric CO2 drops. As the rocks and silt become subducted into the trenches and this material spews forth from mountain chains above subduction zones (such as the Sierras), CO2 is returned to the atmosphere. If the geologic plate tectonic engine slows then stops, then over time CO2 will be pulled from the atmosphere by plants, sequestered in minerals, and after long enoght there will not be enough CO2 in the atmosphere to support plants. As the plants die off, so goes the source of atmospheric O2, which will combine with surface minerals and leave the atmosphere that way. I don't have the book in front of me, but Ward and Brownlee predicted that this death of the Carbon cycle would occure much earlier than the death of the Sun, say, in about 1 billion years or so. Of course, the oft-quoted in textbooks from my youth statement that the Sun and the Eartth will 'last' another 5B years is false anyway...solar brightening will force Earth into a 'wet greenhouse' then a loss of al,ost all water much sonner than 5B years anyway (but still later than the death of the CO2 cycle).

Now back to present reality: Any revanchist non-scientific AGW denier who might have heard these theories and might want to use them to say that our dumping CO2 into the atmosphere is a good thing clearly need to go back to school. The Present time scale and the time scale for solar influx doom and for tectonic/CO2 cycle doom before that are much much further in our future than humanity's recorded history, or even much longer than we have been a distinct species.

Re: Double Daylight Saving Time. Up top.

I have rarely read such outrages reasoning. He wants to move "beyond the fiction of our agrarian conception of time and into the modern world". Oh right. The modern world needs a different clock because agriculture time no longer applies.

Get a clue. The hours in a day and hours of daylight to do not change just because the clocks change. Time still moves the same and in seasons that result in crops and such. It is the modern world that is the fiction and that becomes more so each day with people like the article's author running the show.

I hate day light sayings time. It is a bi-yearly headache of clock changing. I have several vehicles and each one seems to have a slightly different way of setting the clock forward/backward. And come the next time to adjust, I've forgotten how each works and have to look it up again for each one. And I like to have a clock visible from wherever I am in the house since I don't like wearing a watch. That means I have a lot of clocks to change.

Living on a farm also makes getting up too early a waste of time. The dew is too heavy to mow and it is often cold and uncomfortable in the morning. Plus traffic picks up early past my place and keeps me awake. I am an early to rise and early to bed type person anyway so long as is not too early in the morning.

It is the evening consequences of day-light savings time that I particularly hate. During the warmest and longest days when one is tired from being up all day and wants to sleep, the sun is still up past 9 o'clock or later. What on earth do people want to do at that hour that requires sunlight?

I have a biological clock that is pretty precise. We all have one. We evolved with a rhythm. That is why there is jet lag for example.
These rhythms are based on day and night and seasons. The author supposes that we can override these basic evolutionary rhythms and achieve a nirvana of "gorgeous, endless evenings". What rubbish.

He says the clock shift was originally designed to "create" more leisure time. From what I have read people have less leisure time than ever lately. Especially working people. I submit that if his stupid idea or double daylight savings time were put into effect most people would have even less leisure time.

As it is, people like me do not get enough sleep anyway. It is a major national health concern. It can result in diabetes which I have. It is well known among educators that test results fall when a student does not get enough sleep. Sleep, regular hours and the expectation of such make for good judgement IMO.

Perhaps the author should try it. I think his judgement would improve and he would forget about double daylight saving time.

I’ve been working with my church to help make their operations more energy efficient. The church would like to reduce its operating costs and put their funds to better use. But beyond that, they want to be “good stewards” and set a positive example for their parishioners, so the motivation here is not simply one of dollars and cents.

Earlier this week, I started working on the parish hall. This building, in addition to its regular functions, is used by a local food bank and hosts weekly continuing education classes. Some improvements were simple, relatively inexpensive and could be completed in about thirty minutes. For example, the hall has six exit signs, each illuminated with two 15-watt incandescent lamps. These signs were retrofitted with 1.5-watt LEDs for a net savings of 1,419 kWh/year and a 5.5 per cent reduction in overall demand.

I also re-lamped sixty-one 2-lamp T8 fixtures in the lower hall and second floor offices with new, high performance 28-watt T8 lamps. The original lamps operated at 32-watts and after ten years of service were nearing the end of their nominal life. It was a good time to do a group replacement and in the process trim their electrical demand by 488-watts. I also replaced their thirty 65-watt BR incandescent reflectors with 50-watt halogen PAR30s I had salvaged from another job; this cuts that load by 450-watts (the fixtures are used for dinners and other functions where dimming is required and so CFLs wouldn’t have been a good choice). Next week, my firm will convert the remaining T12 fixtures on the second and third floors to T8s, further reducing demand by another 700-watts.

The second floor main hall had been illuminated with four 300-watt PS35 incandescent lamps housed in industrial-style reflectors. These long-life lamps were not very efficient (you effectively trade lumens for longevity) and some of the light was lost inside the neck of the fixture. I replaced these lamps with 100-watt halogen-IR PAR38s that I had stashed away in my basement. Light levels are more or less the same, but we gain an additional 800-watts in savings.

The parish hall has two 250-watt barn-style exterior lights that operate from dusk to dawn and 100-watt incandescent lamps at each of the three entrances. These will be replaced with 70-watt metal halide wall packs and 13-watt, hard wired CFLs respectively.

The church itself has three 250-watt mercury vapour post lamps at the front circular driveway and a 1,000-watt mercury vapour fixture that illuminates the front facade. These fixtures also run from dusk to dawn. We will be removing the ballasts from the post lights and refitting them with 27-watt CFLs and the 1,000-watt flood will be replaced by a 70-watt metal halide; it won’t be quite as bright but, then again, the light will be white and not a ghastly green.

Inside, the T12 fluorescent valances will be re-lamped and re-ballasted (a 1,900-watt savings). The tea cup chandeliers have already been converted from incandescent to CFL (a 1,692-watt reduction). Tomorrow afternoon, we will replace the eleven 150-watt incandescent BR40s illuminating the front altar with 23-watt PAR38 CFLs for a further 1,397-watt savings. Monday, the vestries and transepts will be re-lamped and re-ballasted, which bumps up the savings by another 464-watts.

Lastly, the parish kitchen is equipped with two commercial BUNN coffee markers that have internal water reservoirs that are kept hot 24-hours a day. I plugged one into my power monitor and discovered that they use 75-watts in standby operation. Simply unplugging these two coffee makers when not in use will save approximately 1,300 kWh/year – roughly five per cent of the parish hall’s total demand.

Many of us have made our homes about as energy efficient as possible, but there’s really no reason why we should stop at this. We should be seeking out other energy saving opportunities at our schools, churches, community halls and other non-profit organizations. We might also consider donating a couple six-packs of CFLs to a local food bank so that they can be distributed to those in greatest need. If you can spare $50.00 or $100.00 for supplies and perhaps donate a few hours of your time, the potential benefits to your community can be enormous.

Cheers,
Paul

This weekend, the University of the West of England’s Centre for Psycho-Social Studies is holding a conference on ‘The Psychological and Political Challenge of Facing Climate Change’

http://www.climate-resistance.org/2009/03/under-the-spreading-chestnut-t...

Interesting blurb from Michael Pollan. I've had recent experience in eating cheap using fresh ingredients. I found a breadmaker at the thrift store for $13. It was new and unused but had been sitting a very long time in someone's closet or garage from the looks of the box. You dump all the ingredients in and it bakes a delicious loaf of bread in 3 hours. Flour costs $.65/lb at the supermarket or $.30/lb at Costco. The cost of sugar, salt, yeast and butter are negligible.At supermarket prices the ingredients cost at most $.80. Hard margarine is cheaper, but it's full of trans-fats. Cost of yeast is a little hard to estimate since it's expensive but you only need a little. Compare that to $2.50 to $3.00 a loaf at the supermarket. As long as the electric grid holds up, I'll have my bread. The only problem now is it tastes so good, it's gone in half the time of supermarket bread.

Hello Leanan,

Thxs for the toplink update on Yucca Mountain. Recall my much earlier postings on it ultimately being used as an elite bunker, paid for by the common taxpayer. Time will tell...

Hello TODers,

Have you hugged your bag of NPK today?

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=277299&src=4
-------------------------
Spring is here: Let's get ready to garden

...Just $50 worth of seeds and fertilizer can produce $1,250 in food, according to Burpee, the mail order garden company.
------------------------
Taxfree EROI of $1250/50 = 25. IMO, this helps validate Liebscher's Optima, and O-NPK can help leverage this further.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--golfcourseclo...
-----------------------
ELIZABETH, N.J. - Duffers in Union County will soon have one less golfing option.

..It's estimated that closing the 80-year-old course will save the county $740,000 a year.
-----------------------

http://blog.nola.com/tpsports/2009/03/closing_of_the_bluffs_golf_cou.html
--------------------------
Closing of the Bluffs golf course is a sign of the times

..Before The Bluffs became a private club 13 months ago, it had been widely regarded as Louisiana's No. 1 golf destination and one of our country's top residential golf communities. Now it sits dormant..
---------------------

http://www.record-eagle.com/local/local_story_065225527.html
-------------------------
Golf course is latest victim of economy

High Pointe Golf Club is one of several in area to close in recent years.. [they list 23 more that have closed]
------------------------
I wonder who will be the first PGA professional to advocate for plowing these closed golf venues? I am still hoping for Tiger Woods to lead the charge [see prior postings]. Would a banker choose to make safe and profitable micro-loans for permaculture on these courses, or would the banker rather negative-EROI bailout some of these courses so that he can get in some more rounds?

The situation in Zimbabwe suggests the bankers' funding direction will ultimately result in rusty wheelbarrows for moving fast expiring piles of cash and people around the golf courses to the landfills.

Bob Shaw in Phx,Az Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?

http://v2.ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2009/03/06/53286/the-bank-of-england-...
-------------------------
The Bank of England speaks: This is ‘not Zimbabwe’
-------------------------
Yep, as Zim completes its Thermo/Gene Dieoff process: the UK may find itself postPeak forced into building a New Rhodesia to relieve their Overshoot.

That hopeless feeling, even here in one of the greenest places (literally and figuaratively) in the US:

States agree to build 12-lane Columbia River bridge

Oregon and Washington have agreed on a new 12-lane Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River, double the current bridge's size.

That's the idea behind a pact approved unanimously Friday by a Project Sponsors Council of state and regional officials that governs the $4 billion Columbia River Crossing bridge project.

The mobility council idea hinges on a high-stakes bet: Will the public be willing to accept bridge tolls in perpetuity?

"There is no new shadow government being created," said Steve Stuart, a Clark County commissioner on the sponsors council.

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/03/states_agree_to_...

The readers' comments at the end of the article bring tears to the eyes, they're so lucid and obvious: "We're broke," We're on the downslope of oil production," "Fix public transit first," but in the end it's a few small voices in the wilderness, easily marginalized.

There's apparently too much money to be made to allow public opinion to interfere.

Cyclone Hamish is running down the Queensland Coast at the moment.
Currently category 5, Winds 295 KmPH. If this turns inland it will cure the drought and do some serious damage.

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml

925 kpa is a seriously low central pressure.

How many civilian nuclear power experts does TOD have? What do you think about this?

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22114/

There seems to be no shortage of 'Generation 3', 3+, 4, and other non-generation-specified designs such as this...and I use the word 'design' loosely for some of them...some of them seem to have blueprints on the shelf, and others are pretty pictures and hopeful words. I wonder how much engineering design work this one has? What happened to the pebble-bed reactor design?

It would be a great achievement to move away from dirty coal electricity generation to a relatively fail-soft, lower-nuclear-waste design such as this one claims to be.

Before the folks jump out of the woodwork and voraciously point out that a credible, cleaner energy supply will not solve the World's resource depletion/over-population/pollution woes...I get it...I have railed myself against over-population...this post is about new ideas for base-load electricity...

There are several scientific comments that I would like to make about "Global
Warming" and "Global Climate Change". There is a basic principa l
involved
that has been overlooked by most of the non-scientific media.
Every statement in this paper is covered in detail in the references presented at the
conclusion of this discussion.

FIRST -- is that Global Warming is NOT a new effect. It has occurred five times
during the past 500,000 years! The basic cause is Methane (CH4) and
NOT man-made Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The present global warming
cycle began about the time man was crossing the frozen land bridge
from Siberia to North America.

We need to understand the sources and mechanics of Methane that
are actually the basic cause of our global warming. Anything that has
grown, ranging from yard clippings to a decaying body, produces
methane as it decomposes. Methane gas from permafrost is a decay
product. Methane gas from the deep ocean (methane hydrate) is totally
different.

Methane gas from oil wells is yet a very different composition. These
must all be recognized as such and understood as to their manner of
existence, production, and/or release.

Deep Sea Methane appears to be the waste product of a bacteriological
process and is therefore a renewable resource! ( See Reference 2).
It is a relative clean product of our environment. It has recently been
produced (as clean natural gas) in continuous commercial quantities
by Japanese & American scientists in Canada in 2008. It is this Methane
gas that has been bubbling up, for eons,from the continental shelfs
around the world that is the real culprit
and basic cause of our present situation.

Oil well Methane gas is a very dirty gas mixture — it is methane with
huge amounts of sulfur and other noxious gases mixed with it. The
Methane often mentioned in the media as "Bubbling up from Undersea
Permafrost" is a decay product. It is NOT from a Hydrate!

NEXT -- Drastic Global Climate Change has taken place at least FIVE
different times during the last 500,000 years. Our present cycle is
the only one during which man has been a factor! (Ref. 1 & 2). Methane
gas which bubbles up continuously from the deep ocean sources (and
which in turn disassociates into CO2) is the true source of the "Greenhouse
Gas" that has operated in the previous five interglacial cycles — all
of which have been extinction cycles! As will this one!

These five previous cycles are NOT man made effects, nor is the
present cycle, and it IS TOO LATE to change our present cycle, we
may actually now be past the peak. We can only learn to adapt!
We cannot STOP the process although we might slow
it down for a few years, which in geological time is nothing.

We MUST ADAPT to survive! ADAPT! ADAPT ! ADAPT !

REFERENCES

There are several prime references associated with the material that I
have covered, if ever so briefly.

(1) EARTH's CHANGING CLIMATE. Lecture Series by Dr. Richard
Wolfson, the Benjamin F. Wissler Professor of Physics at Middlebury
College. This is a six hour lecture series (12 segments of 30 minutes
each) on two DVDs produced by The Teaching Company of Chantilly VA
20151-1232.
http://www.TEACH12.com

This series covers in-depth detail of the science and methodology of
climate change. It is not an advocacy program. Interestingly, Dr.
Wolfson does not even mention Methane-Clatherate in this lecture
series — knowledge on that subject is almost too new to have been
included. It was first discovered on a moon of Venus by NASA about
1985. At the time we did not even know that it existed on Earth!

(2) FIRE IN THE ICE. Quarterly Journal , U.S.Department of Energy,
Office of Fossil Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory. Also
known as Methane Hydrate Newsletter. Recommended reading is all
issues to current issue from about 2000 forward. This is the best of
several technical journals devoted to the science of Methane
Clatherates.
http://www.netl.doe.gov/about/index.html

(3) HIGH TIDE by Mark Lynas. Picador, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
10010. ISBN 0-312-30365-3. This well written book clarifies the problems
of Global Warming "… The American People have been subjected to one
of the most pervasive misinformation campaigns ever undertaken …

http://www.picadorusa.com

(4) WITH SPEED AND VIOLENCE [Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in
Climate Change] by Fred Pearce. Beacon Press; 25 Beacon Street;
Boston, MA 02108. © 2007. "We are on the precipice of climate system
tipping points beyond which there is no redemption"
http://www.beacon.org

(5) Natural Gas Hydrate Studies in Canada; Hyndman & Dallimore from
The Recorder, 26,11-20, 2001, Canadian Society of Exploration
Geophysicists.

JCSpilman, P.E. (Ret.) Huntsville, AL
====================================================

Someone posted this at PeakOil.com:

Downward Pressure on Wages has begun

One of the major contractors on the North Slope has reported that they are being forced by the field owners to re-negotiate their contract to lower wage rates of their employees on the Slope. Employees are being told that the decrease could be as much as 25 percent.

The interesting thing is that no one feels like they are in a position to carp about this since some fairly large lay-offs have already been anounced.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/janitor_applications;_ylt=AkzIw_i8Ii5r4ZdoccH...
--------------------
Ohio school gets 700 applicants for just one janitorial job

..The full-time position at Edison Junior High School pays $15 to $16 an hour plus benefits.

Superintendent John Richard says many applicants are laid-off workers with heart-wrenching stories about the tough economic times...
------------------
I would bet that if the wage for this job was cut to just $10/hr: all the applicants would still be willing to accept a job offer. Makes one wonder how close we are to widespread protests and violence fueled by economic desperation. Gerald Celente and others think it starts this summer. We will see..

P.S.GUPTA
SR EDITOR CONSULTING[WORLD AFFAIRS]
TOURING EU/USA

Subject: individual tips on recession in india & the world and strategy of govts to deal melting of banking sector.

D

INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS TIPS

*Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken.

In India/world , wealth management and portfolio management have only recently caught on. These areas being fairly new in the market are yet to be time-tested. However, with their growing popularity, it is only prudent to hypothetically see if there are any traps or pitfalls that lie within them. Portfolio management services in India /world are now heavily regulated. The basic procedures, which use to be followed by a PMS firm were to collect money from all of its clients and put it into one big pool account. After this, the firm invests the money from the pool account in various securities, shares, funds, etc, as they see fit. The firm will then send monthly reports to its clients detailing the capital they invested earlier and what is its current worth, which they ascertain by the percentage of the total pool account your capital formed at the beginning. This method was rather crude and even though certain firms had websites, which clients could use their username and password to log onto at anytime and see how much their money is worth now, or what are the securities the firm is investing in, there were too many problems associated with it. Some within the industry go as far as claiming that the regulators stopped this practice to curb money laundering, which could have been taking place via these pool accounts.

*Currently, each client who goes in for PMS, has his/her separate Dmat account and savings account opened, which the firm has the authority to use to buy/sell on the client's behalf. This way, each client's money is treated individually, their share transactions and number of transactions are visible to them in their statements or online, the amount of taxes, charges and fees applicable are also clearly listed for the client to verify. With this new process in place, the odds of a "Ponzi" scheme or any other such scam taking place in India/western world is unlikely. Of course, it is in the investor's best interest to periodically look at their accounts and transactions done, as well as the types of stocks bought/sold. For, if the investment details appear vague or incoherent, then one should immediately be suspicious, on their guard, and try to get their money out as soon as possible. This is a suggestion only made, for while India does have very good disclosure levels, if the disclosure done is not transparent and clear, but translucent and vague, then one needs to start worrying nonetheless.

That brings us to what Sebi considers while granting the certificate of registration to a portfolio manager applicant. Sebi takes into account all matters, which it deems relevant to the activities relating to portfolio management. The applicant has to be a corporate body and must have the necessary infrastructure like adequate office space, equipment and the manpower to effectively discharge the activities of a portfolio manager. The principal officer of the applicant should have either -a professional qualification in finance, law, accountancy or business management from a university or an institution recognised by the Central government or any state government or a foreign university; or an experience of at least ten years in related activities in the securities market, including in a portfolio manager's position, stock broker or as a fund manager. The applicant should have in its employment a minimum of two persons, who, between them, have at least five years experience as a portfolio manager or stock broker or investment manager or in the areas related to fund management. The applicant also has to fulfill the capital adequacy requirements, etc. This is an extract from an investor education questionnaire provided by Sebi, for better understanding of Sebi (Portfolio Managers) Regulations, 1993.

Wealth management - virgin territory

*While trying to understand what the wealth management disclosure levels are, and rules, if any, for them to follow, many a wealth manager explained, "Wealth management and portfolio management are very different. While the latter is a highly regulated area, wealth management being fairly nascent and unrelated to the direct raising of money, has been left out of the system for now."

*Thus, wealth management is different from portfolio management as it encompasses a person's complete financial planning. It is an advisory position, wherein, the wealth manager, after knowing the client's goals, dreams, current financial status, helps and advices them on where to put in how much money so as to help them achieve their financial goals. Wealth management one must also realise is completely unregulated and free of any rules and restrictions per se, except of course those which the individual banks/companies create internally. On first hearing this, most people may jump to the conclusion that they are rather vulnerable at their wealth manager's hands. However, the good news is that it isn't really like that, for a wealth manager as such never takes money from a client. They are not allowed to raise money from the public and hence the lack of regulations here. The position a wealth manager takes is that of advising a client on what they should do with their money and only if a client agrees, do they invest for the client in whichever product they have finalised on, be it a stock, a mutual fund, a fixed deposit or an insurance policy. Therefore, technically speaking, the biggest risk that one can have from his/her wealth manager, is wrong advice and mismanaged finances. However, if a dedicated professional is your wealth manager, who understands your needs and the financial world, it is unlikely the same will happen, for reputation and transparency are key areas in this world.

Self due diligence

*Keeping a few basic points in mind and going over them every time you make a financial decision can help *you avoid falling for any sort of financial trap.

*Never make a financial transaction based on something you receive in your email.

* Don't participate in pyramid schemes and avoid multi-level marketing schemes, especially those that have no corporate backing and a track record for at least a decade. Pyramid schemes are designed so that the creator and his closest circle of friends make all the money, while all the people under them are not likely to make much at all--usually it is just a waste of time and effort.

* Never pay money upfront for things you don't understand, allow you to work, or that promise to promote your work in some way.

* Only invest in things that have a long established history. Blue chip stocks, government bonds and established mutual funds are usually sound places to put money. Don't put your money in the hands of a single private investor unless you are prepared to lose it.

* Wherever you put your money, investigate and do due diligence beforehand. If you are putting money in a bank, know if it is insured, how long it has been in operation, etc. If you are investing, look at the track record of the companies you are going to invest in. When dealing with a wealth manager or portfolio manager make sure to look into their records, past performance, reliability and transparency levels.

*While the corporate wealth management and PMS services in India/world , seem fairly safe and secure, this does not mean that there are no dangers lurking around, for conmen exist everywhere. In India/world over , one should remember there is a parallel financial system, where chit funds, hundi's and the likes are rampant.

Here, the returns promised are enticing but so are the odds of never seeing your money again. Hence, it is essential for one to make sure the people who they are dealing with are transparent and follow disclosure levels that are to your understanding and satisfaction.

*Smooth returns and extraordinary returns are a fallacy. You cannot have super normal profits for a long time. History has proven that profits like the kind Bernie Madoff was handing out, means that there was something else going on. Especially when one hears investment gurus like Warren Buffett himself admitting to having made only small returns during the early days of his own highly exclusive fund.

FINANCIAL MARKETS CONTROLS

*Must control with strictures in times of extreme bull/bear markets by stock exchanges from to time

by surprise independen audits of finanacial status,bank outflows and inflows,profitability,performance of turn over over and abovr carried out by the co,s 1/10 to be selected by the committes.

*disclosures of director holding shares and any change more then 2 to 5 % must be made mandatory with in 24 hrs

*any investments in wealth sold or purchase to be done only after share holder resolutions of value 5 % of the equity capital.

*promoter buying and selling to be stopped completly,until approved by the share holding resolution.

*co to disclose reasons of any major changes in profits/loss every 30 days.

* co must disclose directors relation to the promoters before appointing them.

*directors must be professionally educated and no director in more then 3 co,s to be made amndatory.

GOVT CONTROLS

* GOVT MUST ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO INVEST NOT MORE THEN 5 TO 10 % IN EQUITY OF CO,S RECOMMENDED BY RATING AGENCIES ,BUT ONLY DURING THE BEAR PHASE.

* GOVT/RESERVE BANKS ALSO SHOULD INVEST UP TO 5 TO 10 % IN EQUITY AS PER RATING DECIDED BY COMMITTES OF CO IN , HIGH TECHNOLOGY,ENVIRONMENT,ENERGY,MILITARY,SPACE,HEALTH & WELFARE ETC ETC:

INDEPENDENTS MONITORING OF 2/10 CO,S SHOWING MAJOR DEVIATIONS IN 15 TO 25 DAYS DURATION,IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT THE STOCH EXCHANGES DO.

FINANCIAL MELT DOWN & STEPS TO FIGHT RECESSION BY GOVT

* GOVT VIGILENT COMMISSION WITH INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS FROM WORLD GLOBE SINCE MNC CAN NOT BE MONITORED BY ONE COUNTRY ALONE.

*RESERVE BANK TO MONITOR BANKS CLOSELY AND REVIEW EVERY 3 MONTHS OF BOTH PUBLIC SECTOR /PRIVATE BANKS/FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

* TO KEEP THE INDUSTRY WHEELS MOVING IN RECESSION AND PRICING TO BE FIXED ON BREAK EVEN POINT STRATEGY,WILL ENSURE NO RETRENCHMENT OF EMPLOYEES.

P.S.GUPTA[SR EDITOR CONSULTING]WORLD AFFAIRS TOURING EU/USA says:

SUB INDO-US RELATIONSHIP IN HELP OF WORLD DEMOCRACY PEACE,STABILITY SICE BASED ON PRINCIPLES

"The letter focuses on the multi-faceted relationship that is anchored in the common values of democracy, pluralism and respect for diversity, shared by the two countries," is in right direction since based on rights of human values and priniciples rather then opportunists of mutual benefits only: I wish to narrate the following to further illustrate the above:

WHAT IS COMMON IN VISION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING v/s MAHATMA GANDHI VISION OF WORLD VIEW *FREEDOM TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS IRESPECTIVE OF CASTE,COLOUR,RELIGION,LANGUAGE,DEMOCRACY,PLURISM & DIVERSITY * NON VIOLENCE METHODS BY ANY CITIZEN IF NOT AGREEING TO THE STATE GOVERNANCE OR METHODOLOGY * TO REMAIN DECIPLINE CITIZENS AND REMAINING PEACEFUL,ACT PATIENCE,UNREVENGEFUL *TO HELP THE WOMEN AND CHILDERN IN THERE EDUCATION,FEEDING,HEALTH CARE AND UPLIFTMENT IN EVERY SPHERE OF LIFE WHERE THEY HAVE LOST IN THERE LAST 5000 YEARS OF UNEQUALITY *NO TRADE WITH NATIONS WHO BELIEVE IN VOILENCE,BASED ON TRUTH AND JUSTICE WITH PRINCIPLES OF SECULAR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN DIGNITY *NO PLACE OF TERRORISM,AS DONE BY MILITARY JUNTA OF PAKISTAN TO FORCEFULLY OCCUPY PART OF J&K SO CALLED AZAD KASHMIR,JAWAHARLAL NEHRU AGREED TO GO UNO TO COMPLAINT FOR SOLUTION,UNFORTUNATELY USA WITH PAKISTAN SINCE BEING ALLY TO NATO/SENTO AND INDIA A NON ALIGNED CONTRY WANTED A PEACEFUL WORLD NOT OPPORTUNISTIC BANEFIT JOING USA

* BELIEVE GOD IS THERE TO HELP AND SUPPORT INDIA WHEN IT IS WRITTEN BY HIM BASED ON TRUTH AND JUSTICE & HUMAN VALUES

*MAHATMA GANDHI LED THE STRUGGLE IN SOUTH AFRICA AGAIST SUCH BAD THINGS IN THE WORLD LIKE RACISM FROM "1911 ONWARDS

*INDIA COULD HAVE PROSPERED HAVING MILITARY ADMINISTRATION FOR STRICT AND FAST DEVELOPMENT BUT CHOOSE DEMOCRACY SINCE IT WANTED THAT PEOPLE MUST TAKE THE COUNTRY FORWARD BY NARROWING OF DIFFERENCES

*INDIA LIVED WITH PAKISTAN FOR LAST 60 YEARS OR SO THINKING ONE DAY WILL COME WHEN WORLD WILL MAKE PAKISTAN REALISE TO ACT AND CHANGE AS A RESPECTFUL NATION

* VALUES OF HUMAN DIGNITY,RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUAL,FREE PRESS,JUDICIAL SYSTEM FINAL POWERS MADE INDIA FOUNDATION However, a policy document on foreign policy released by the White House makes no mention of India, but talks in general terms about building new partnerships in Asia. BUT I FEEL IT WAS TOO EARLY FOR INDIA TO EXPECT THE NEW OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO LET THE WORLD KNOW WHAT PROBABLY USA WILL HAVE RELATIONSHIP BASED ON EVEN CLOSER TO AN ALLY OF USA,ENSURING PERMANENT COUNCIL SEAT TO INDIA,LIBERAL TRADE RUNNING IN $BILLIONS OF DOLLERS SKY IS THE LIMIT. LET GOD BLESS THE USA & INDIA FOR GREATER HEIGHTS NEVER VISULISED BY EVEN THE DREAMERS,PRAY FOR LONG ANG EXCELLENT HEALTH TO PRIMEMINISTER OF INDIA MR MANMOHAN SINGH.

The prime minister described Obama's assumption of office "as an historic occasion for the people of America and for all freedom loving people across the world",

SINCE INDO-US ARE THE TWO BIGGEST & STORGEST DEMOCRACIES OF THE WORLD,BOTH ARE COMITTED TO HELP THE MINORITY CUMMUNITY,OPPRESSED AND DOWN TRODDEN SOCIETY OF TWO NATIONS SUFERING RECESSION,SURELY WILL COME OUT OF IT,IF IT FOLLOWS TO KEEP THE WHEELS OF INDUSTRIES MOVING,ENSURING NO ONE TO DISCHARGE THE EMPLOYEES FROM JOB,FOLLOWING WORLD ACCEPTED PHILOSPHY OF TRADING FOR COSTING TO MEET BREAK EVEN RATES,GENERATE MORE EMPLOYMENT IN BOTH COUNTRIES FOR TRADE TO REACH $100 BILLIONS DOLLERS EVERY YEAR,THINK NOT EVEN THE BEST ECONOMIST WILL NOT DENY,EVEN DR MANMOHAN SINGH?

*WILL CREATE 5 MILLIONS JOBS IN USA & 25 MILLIONS JOBS IN INDIA IN ALL CLEAN ENERGY SECTOR,NUCLEAR,WIND,SOLAR BY INVESTMENT OF $ 400 BILLIONS DOLLERS,SINCE I MYSELF IS A TECHNOCRAT IN THE ENERGY FIELD,MY RESUME ENCLOSED CONFIRMINF MY BONAFIDE IN SERVING THE WORLD MANKIND IN TIMES OF CRISES.

RIGHTY PARTNERS/ALLIES COULD BE MANY FOR EXAMPLE CHINA,RUSSIA,PAKISTAN,BUT YOU CAN,T SAY FOR FRIENDS,SINCE FRIENDSHIP SURVIVES WHEN THERE MUTUAL GOALS,GOALS FOR THE UNIVERSE : PEACE RESPECT TO THE HUMANITY,ALLOWING FREE EXPRESSION TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL ON EARTH,HUMAN DIGNITY TO THE WOMEN RIGHTS AND HUMANITY MEETS THE SAME END, WILL BE INCOMPLETE UNTIL THE TWO DEMOCRACIES MEET FOR COMMON GOAL.

P.S.GUPTA, SR EDITOR CONSULTING[WORLD AFFAIRS],TOURING EU/WESTERN WORLD, says:

subject" The culture of India,its polity of upbringing,values/principles shrined by the founding fathers& reasons why the majority of the world nations want it as friend as compared to pakistan/CHINA/NORTH KOREA.

THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE TOPIC ALWAYS HOUNDING MY MIND WHY THE INDIAN CULTURE IS BEING EXPLOITED BY SMALL COUNTABLE MISCRIENTS OF POLITICAL SYSTEM.

* Indian Culture has been shaped by the long history of India, its unique geography and the absorption of customs, traditions and ideas from some of its neighbors as well as by preserving its ancient heritages, which were formed during the Indus Valley Civilization and evolved further during the Vedic age, rise and decline of Buddhism, Golden age, Muslim conquests and European colonization. India's great diversity of cultural practices, languages, customs, and traditions are examples of this unique co-mingling over the past five millennia.

India is also the birth place of several religious systems such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. The various religions and traditions of India that were created by these amalgamations have influenced other parts of the world too. The term culture refers to a state of intellectual development or manners. The social and political forces that influence the growth of a human being is defined as culture.

Indian culture is rich and diverse and as a result unique in its very own way. Our manners, way of communicating with one another, etc are one of the important components of our culture. Even though we have accepted modern means of living, improved our lifestyle, our values and beliefs still remain unchanged. A person can change his way of clothing, way of eating and living but the rich values in a person always remains unchanged because they are deeply rooted within our hearts, mind, body and soul which we receive from our culture.

Indian culture treats guests as god and serves them and takes care of them as if they are a part and parcel of the family itself. Even though we don’t have anything to eat, the guests are never left hungry and are always looked after by the members of the family. Elders and the respect for elders is a major component in Indian culture. Elders are the driving force for any family and hence the love and respect for elders comes from within and is not artificial.

An individual takes blessings from his elders by touching their feet. Elders drill and pass on the Indian culture within us as we grow.. “Respect one another” is another lesson that is taught from the books of Indian culture. All people are alike and respecting one another is ones duty. In foreign countries the relation between the boss and the employee is like a master and slave and is purely monetary whereas in Indian culture the relation between the boss and the employee is more like homely relations unlike foreign countries.

Helpful nature is another striking feature in our Indian culture. Right from our early days of childhood we are taught to help one another in need of help and distress. If not monetary then at least in kind or non-monetary ways. Indian culture tells us to multiply and distribute joy and happiness and share sadness and pain. It tells us that by all this we can develop co-operation and better living amongst ourselves and subsequently make this world a better place to live in.

Even though India is a country of various religions and caste our culture tells us just one thing 'phir bhi dil hai hidustani '. Namaste or Pranam --How we greet each other in India. To greet a friend or another Indian, We join our hands (palms together), bow down in front of the other person, and say Namaste, Namaskar, or Pranam. The Lord dwells in the heart of every human being. This joining of hands symbolizes the meeting of two souls, our real self actually meets Itself.

This signifies reverent Salutations and Unity of Souls. Bowing down & joining hands symbolizes humility and also makes us humble. Thus when we joins our hands and say Namaskar, we actually see the Lord in the other persons and believe, "I bow with deep respects to the all-loving, all-powerful and omnipresent (present everywhere) Lord in you."

One of the most beautiful aspects of being a woman is the fact that only she can give birth to another life. Within her a new life takes shape, is molded and then is born to be nurtured into a good human being. There are women who recall the ordeal of pregnancy, but yet none would deny it is a blessing to be able to give birth. Like some mothers would say, it is a sweet ordeal to feel the little one grow and develop through the nine months..

It is a sweet kind of pain when the fetus within kicks the mother to move about. There is something pleasant about the morning sickness, knowing that there is a little being forming in there. All this is part of the process known as prenatal parenting. In today’s day and age most couples prefer the process known as a planned pregnancy, because of various factors; prime amongst them being the financial well being to support the birth and nurturing of a child.

In such cases, the first prenatal visit actually happens prior to actual pregnancy, to see whether one is ready to go off the contraception pills and conceive a baby. However, in maximum conceptions, one is unaware of the pregnancy until actual realization dawns after one skips the first menstrual cycle. Normally doctors except ladies to pay their first visit anywhere between the sixth and twelfth week after conception.

Apart from all the physical care required to ensure the healthy development of the fetus, the mother actual starts proper parenting during pregnancy. Like they say, the permanent impressions of a human being are imprinted on the mind while in the womb of the mother. So, just as the food she eats determines the bodily development of the child; the kind of feelings and thoughts and words she fills herself with and exchanges with others affect the child’s mental and emotional development.

Indian parenting is based on value-based parenting. Women living in joint families are provided with the traditional guidance of nurturing the fetus. Traditionally, the pregnant women would be encouraged to attend regular prayer meets, listen to soft and calming music, read tales from Indian mythology, as well as the scriptures. They felt that everything that would engage the mother’s mind in calming thoughts would be good food for the fetus’s developing mind.

This is not only a practice amongst Hindus, but every religion provides such guidance to those who are pregnant. Effective parenting skills are a combination of love and logic. Sometimes mothers tend to overlook the need to be practical and logical, letting their young ones get away with bad behavior. And on the other hand some mothers tend to be so practical in their ways that children grow up feeling unloved.

Parenting with love and logic is not about upbringing beyond the birth, but even while the baby is developing in the womb. While ancient scriptures contain numerous tales to prove that impressions are created in the human mind while still in the womb; today, numerous researches in modern sciences are proving the same through the various experiments. Good parenting is virtue that is inbuilt in every mother.

However, sometimes due to excessive stress and tension, mothers tend to lose control over their emotions and deal with the children wrongly. And unfortunately children tend to carry forward the negative impressions into their adult life, rather than all the positives the parents have done. Thus, it is important that a mother is always in control of her emotions and mental state of mind.

And this awareness will always help her inculcate good values in the child. As part of the prenatal development, it has been an age-old practice to listen to good soothing music as well as make the pregnant one read value-based books. There is a lot of literature that promotes the proper garbh sanskar, which means values for the fetus.

One needs to remember that the first set of impressions is what the fetus gathers, and the experience of the womb is the seed of the rest of the human life. There is a specially rendered garbh sanskar mp3 that contains soothing music for mothers-to-be, as well as the key mantras that promote peace of mind and the healthy growth and development of the fetus. Listening to this brings peace and harmony within one who is pregnant.

parents on how to bring-up their children right from the stage of conception to 8 years of age. It helps in overall development of a child. It specially deals with improving the intelligence & well being of the child between the age of 0 to 8 years of age. It's an extremely useful insight into parenting.

What is character ?

What is Courage ?

Building character Character building stories Character flaws Social norms Character and religion Teaching moral science Character education songs Teaching Children Virtues & Values Children are the pillars of our tomorrow is a statement that is repeated time and again.. And it is an axiom; they are our pillars of the coming time.

But then do we nurture them into becoming healthy human beings? By healthy human beings here is not meant the physical well being, but the good human being.

And how do you define a good human being?

One with virtues and values that keeps them in the realm of working towards the benefit of humanity. How can children imbibe within themselves the virtues and values? Well, this is the primary responsibility of parents and other immediate family members, followed by school authorities.

The values and virtues of an individual is sown in their childhood and nurtured as they grow up. After all nobody is born a criminal, it is what they become as result of what they gain from their surroundings. Depending on the way we bring up our children, we decide our own future.

It is vital that in the formative years we give them quality time and attention. We teach them to discriminate between the good, bad and the ugly. WE have to inculcate into them positive emotions like love and compassion and teach them actions of kindness and generosity.

At the same time we have to help them do way with the negatives of hatred, anger, jealousy, selfishness, etc. Your child is like a plant. You sow the seeds and also reap the benefits of its growth and development. First and foremost you as a parent have to realize your responsibility in nurturing a child to growing into a good human being.

And it is just not upto anyone of the parents, but both together to inculcate the values and virtues into your child. As you sow, so shall you reap. To gain respect from your children first you must respect your own elders in front of them. Not only that you have to respect each other too. We tend to take for granted that respecting each other is about enslaving each other. WE consider that respect is what we give to an authority figure, because we need to be in their good books.

However, that is not respect, but disrespect since it is not something genuine. Respect towards elders or any person, as a matter of fact is about honoring or holding in esteem an individual. It implies regarding an individual as a person of value and virtue. We all expect respect from others. But then do we actually respect others? For instance, because we are adults we tend to take our parents for granted.

We tend to get irritated by every suggestion they make simply because we think that we can never be wrong. We then admonish them or ignore them. We do not realize that our children copy or rather mimic us. They then treat us the same way. Apart from this even the way we address the servants, is the way our children will address them too. While your servant is hired by you and you have every right to give them orders the way you want, realize that they are still elders for your children.

When you ill-treat or talk with disrespect to your servant, your child does the same thing. It is vital to teach your child how to respect each individual, in order for him or her to command his or her own respect. And it all begins with you as a parent. Another aspect we overlook is also the way we talk about people in front of our children.

For instance, when we bad-mouth somebody in front of our children, they overhear our conversation, disrespect that person and put us into an embarrassing situation. So it is very vital that we watch our own actions and words in the presence of our children, otherwise it will spell trouble not only for us, but also for them, as there would be nothing beyond disrespect in the dictionary of upbringing. Honesty is the virtue of being honest.

And what is bring honest?

Not being false; being truthful;

bring frank and sincere. And honesty is one of the ingredients of a good human being. It is true that not anyone as a matter of fact can be hundred percent honest through their lifetime. There are times when harmless white lies need to be spoken to protect oneself and others. But harmful dishonesty could cause a lot of trouble. Let us see firstly, why does one need to tell a lie at all. A person usually lies due to fear. The fear of telling the truth as that could get them into trouble. For instance, a child breaks a glass and his mother is very strict.

When asked who broke it, the child would deny having broken it because he fears being shouted at or beaten. But, if the mother is understanding and not hot-tempered, the same child would fearlessly admit to his mistake. The habit of lying begins with such small incidents and progresses into the more serious lies spoken. The more the child fears his parents, the more the lies he would continue to speak at every stage, only because he fears admitting what he has done wrong.

And like each drop makes the ocean, each mistake amounts to the larger mistakes, till there maybe no turning back. To be able to inculcate in your child the virtue of honesty in the first place you have to be more patient and understanding with your child. After all it is only human to err. If your child has made a certain mistake for the first or second time then patiently explain to them the wrong of it.

However, if it is done the third time then strictly put across your viewpoint. In this way your child will consider you their best friend and confide in you no matter what it maybe. Remember respect and honesty from them does not come out of enforcing your authority as a parent, but your patience and understanding as a parent. Selflessness is a virtue of humanity and selfishness is that of inhumanity.

This can be further explained by drawing the difference between a patriot and a terrorism. A patriot sacrifices his life for the sake of his country. He gives up all he has for the sake of others. On the other hand the terrorist takes the lives of others for the sake of a cause. Selflessness in about giving and selfishness is about taking. Generosity is an offshoot of selflessness. It is the virtue of bringing a smile onto other peoples faces.

According to what the Spiritual Leaders profess, The more you give, the more you get. What does this mean? The connotation or meaning of this statement is simple; we can only fill what is always empty. How can we fill more water into a glass full of it. Obviously we have to fist empty it to fill it up again. Similarly in life we have to give out more in order to fill our coffers.

And this is something we need to teach our children. One way in which we can effectively teach our children the virtue of generosity is be making it a point to at visit home for underprivileged children and donating things. One effective practice could be to donate your kids old clothes and toys every year on his birthday.

What you could do is sit down with your child and together sort out what can be given away, seeing that it is not the absolutely torn and tattered objects, but those that can still be used by the underprivileged children. Make your child distribute these himself. He will surely feel a sense of achievement and fulfillment having made these children happy. After doing that as a birthday treat take him shopping to purchase new clothes and toys. In this way the child learns to give and even understands that in some form or the other there is a replacement for all that he give out from the smiles and gratefulness from the receivers to the gifts he receives in return.

To teach him generosity it is vital to reimburse it with a sense of fulfillment not only in terms of material gains, but more so emotional. It has often been said that you can only trust others when you trust yourself completely.. Only he you have high self esteem and self confidence. Otherwise trusting others is one of the most difficult things to do. Thus it is important to teach children to trust themselves.

And for this as a parent you need to keep reassuring them. Reward them & appreciate them for every right and punish them gently for every wrong. Sometimes as parents we are so driven by the need to bring out the best in our children that we overlook whatever right they do, but are extremely quick to reprimand their wrongs. And this is where they lose their confidence.

This is where they are unable to bring up their levels of self esteem. When you acknowledge their achievements, no matter how big or small, they have faith in you; simply because they know that you are with them at every step. They will develop faith in anyone who stands by them like a shadow. Be their to hold their hand. There are certain incidents in childhood that work best to inculcate trust in your child. One for example is when your toddler is taking his first steps.

The little one when walking looks towards you and what you must do is wait at such a distance that he makes every attempt the first couple of steps and yet in case he is about to fall you can catch him on time. Like this even in other activities like cycling and swimming, you have to be there as a buffer for your child so that he knows that you will help him lest he falls or he feels he will drown and yet, he builds up the self confidence to cycle or swim without your help.

It is only in the formative years that we can teach our child how to trust others by teaching them how to trust us. And in all this lies the most important virtue of self trust. Love moves the world and hate stagnates it. It is all to easy to look out of the window and complain about how much hate is dominating our lives today.

But then, how much love do we spread in our lives?

In the present stressful existence, we have forgotten how to love each other. Frustration, stress, anger, impatience, intolerance, reign supreme. And as a result we have children growing in an environment that is minus love and peace. Love is the strongest emotion that brings happiness into ones lives. For us to nurture our children into becoming a good human beings we must inculcate in them the emotion called Love.

And what is love?

It maybe defined as affection, devotion, fondness, admiration, compassion, attachment, dedication, etc. When we learn to live by these emotions then we do away with all the negatives that cause our destruction. We can bring into our children the emotion of love only when we create for ourselves a loving environment. As parents we firstly have to avoid bringing our bedroom fights into the drawing room. We have to have patience and tolerance and accept each other for each or our plusses and minuses. When we accept each other, then only can we teach our children the same.

Children growing up in a home where there is no love, grow into being insecure individuals. They are constantly disturbed by what happens between their parents. The constant fights and arguments instill in them fear and they do not trust the outside world. In fact these children seek attention from all over the place. They are always striving to be their best only out of insecurity. And this is a negative aspect, because at some point out of frustration they just want to stop short of everything and give up.

A child not nurtured in love and affection grows into being a depressed emotional wreck who finds it difficult to adjust in society. Remember, your childs well being, whether it is emotional, physical, psychological, mental or otherwise, depends on the environment you bring up your child in. If it is a loving one, then you are bringing up an adjusting human being. A terrorist after all is not born into a home of love and affection, but one shrouded by intense hate.

The present world seems to be degenerating. Children a losing their innocence earlier than it was in previous generations. They are aware of all that is happening around them. Topics like sex, drugs, etc. that were a hush hush till years ago, is openly spoken about amongst twelve year olds. Crime amongst the youngsters seems commonplace. Why is all this happening? The answer is simple. Today, parents have no time. After giving birth they feel that their responsibility begins and ends with earning money and paying the fees, buying essentials for their children.

It is it actually the parents fault because they also have a pertinent question. How do we survive if we both don’t work? But, at the same time, do not forget that money cannot buy values and virtues that need to be inculcated in children. Apart from values and virtues such as love, generosity, selflessness, respecting elders, trust and honesty, there are a number of other qualities that need to be taught to them.

These include tolerance, acceptance, patience, politeness, sharing, awareness, etc. Also a child must be aware of their cultural background and heritage. Moral Science and Scripture study should be a part of their upbringing. They must learn to understand and speak their own mother tongue before any other language. Apart from learning their own cultural background they must also be taught about other cultures which will bring about within them religious tolerance and acceptance.

Even food habits are what begin at home. They must be taught to respect each morsel given to them, as after al your hard work has gone into feeding them. They must respect the value of money. As a parents you are responsible for molding a citizen of tomorrow. So even respect towards society and one’s country is taught at home and not else where. A child’s life begins at home and ends at home each day, and so what he becomes depends on what his parents make him. Category authored by Karishma Bajaj.

Respect your elders - What do we mean when we say new generations have lost respect? How to show respect and why - because respect is another way of showing love. What actions are interpreted as disrespectful? Good manners - What are good manners and explanation of why they've important. List of simple, basic courtesies. Family Values -What are values and how each person's values are different and how one acquired such values through society.

Teaching kids Indian Values -What classifies as universally accepted values, which are the traditional Indian values and how they are different from foreign values and how they can be misunderstood. spiritual disciplines - Defining Spirituality and differentiating it from religion as well as linking the two.

How spirituality has always been a part of the Indian tradition and what happens when it is ignored in favour of crass consumerist values. raising children words of wisdom - Good Upbringing – Who is a well brought up person or what people mean when they talk about a good upbringing. What is the responsibility of parents and how much of it can be left to ayahs, teachers and other family members Indian Culture Few countries in the world have such an ancient and diverse culture as India's.

Stretching back in an unbroken sweep over 5000 years, India's culture has been enriched by successive waves of migration which were absorbed into the Indian way of life.It is this variety which is a special hallmark of India. Its physical, religious and racial variety is as immense as its linguistic diversity. Underneath this diversity lies the continuity of Indian civilization and social structure from the very earliest times until the present day.

Modern India presents a picture of unity in diversity to which history provides no parallel. Here is a catalogue of everything Indian. Indian religions, festivals, rituals, artifacts, monuments, costumes, music and dance, language and literature. Come and discover a little more of India's culture by selecting any of the topics listed below.

How Do Indians Settled Abroad See India ?

I am Indian-Sikh born in Thailand (Thai citizen) my parents migrated from India at partition time. I always feel happy at good news on India and feel bad on bad news. I can say that Indian in Thailand are not so well regarded and I think not only in Thailand but generally Indian status in the World is not so good. this all due to that India is looked-upon as poor, weak and backward country with virtually no influence in the world even with about one-fifth of world population!Beside basic fact that India is truly weak,poor and backward, alsoin some part due to Indian foreign policy as well, please comment!

I DO AGREE WITH YOU SOME WHAT. YOU THINK INDIANS GENERALLY DO NOT HAVE VERY GOOD STATUS IN THE WORLD BECAUSE WE ARE POOR COUNTRY BUT I PERSONLY DO NOT BELEVE THAT, BUT I DO BELEVE THAT OUR GOVER NMENT FOREIGN POLICY, WELL I SHOULD SAY WE DONT HAVE FOREIN POLICY. I BELEVE INDIANS IN U.S.A.DOING VERY WELL BUT DONOT HAVE A UNITY BECAUSE OF DIFFERNT CULTURE AND LANGUAGES AND ETC. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. I GIVE YOU EXAAMPLE I AM FROM GUJARAT STATE BUT WE HAVE A FIVE TO SIX GUJARAT SAMAJ AND THEY ALL KEEP THEIR OWEN GROUP SO UNTIL WE REALIZE THAT WE ARE INDIANS AND WE WANT TO PRESERVE WHAT WE BELEVE IN WE NEED UNITY (community unity).IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMET PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND E-MAIL THIS IS FIRST TIME I AM WRITING IN WEB. I HOPE I DIDNOT OFFENDED ANYBODY. MY APOLOGY IN ADVANCE.

indians living abroad must never forget their mothrland.they have lot to offer besides foreign currency.their life long experience in the job or trade and pesonal interaction with people of many countries. Thers is no bad reputation of India in the Western world. The reputation depends upon ones behaviour. If you originate from India and you can impress others than people think that India is great. I have always kept the highest standard and no European in my presence as ever dared to critise India. But of course we all know about Indian problems and let us try to solve them. Let us do something for India..

Indians outside India normally have some money at their disposal and they should invest some of it for improvement of India. I am in Indian living in the US, eventhought I have the opportunity to become a US citizen I do not want to become one and would remain an Indian not just by birth but through identity as well. I am proud to be an Indian and I do my best to talk good about India. However, I take the blame of not being friendly to Indian living here.....when I say I take the blame, every Indian living outside the Indian boundary should to.

I am not sure why we Indians are like this, may be because of our caste system, skin colour, language and lot of other things. I pray in hearts of hearts we should shed all this and unite as Indians and show the world the prowess of Indian. i am so glad indians living abroad actually think of us in the desi land. don't worry. before u know it, we are gonna be the prime movers and u can walk tall wherever u r in da world Indians Abroad:

Do We Exist?

public user Current Events Are Indians Abroad DIFFERENT from Residents in India ?

Anonymous Living Working Abroad What Indians Abroad and India Lovers & Expats can do for Steph Indian States Indians lacking in Social skills abroad expat Current Events India's Unique Cultural Heritage National Symbols of India Architecture in India Arts & Crafts of India Cinema in India Fairs & Festivals of India Fashion Industry in India Honours & Awards Indian Dance Indian Music Institutions & Organisations Languages of India Literature of India Painting in India Performing Arts of India India's Famous Personalities Places & Monuments Religions of India Theatre in India Tribes of India Sports in India First in India India is a land of diverse cultures.

The variations in physical, climatic conditions and the extent of exposure to other cultures have greatly influenced the traditions and culture of the different regions. There is an underlying basic factor common to the whole of India, with variations in the practices based on their local needs and influences.

Further, the greatness of India has been in accepting the best from all the invaders and intermingling the new customs and styles with the existing - this is visible in all aspects - music, dance, painting, sculptures, architecture. This article, an excerpt from the introduction to the book "The Art and Architecture of India" by Benjamin Rowland puts it all in a nutshell.

The history of India and its art has been so bound up with the geographic nature of this vast continent that something must be said of these physical characteristics. India has a kind of impregnable geographic isolation. It is in the shape of a great sealed funnel depending from the heartland of Asia. This peculiar shape of the peninsula made for an inevitable retention and absorption of all the racial and cultural elements that poured into it. The peninsula is bounded on the west by the Indian ocean; on the east by the Bay of Bengal.

Along the northern frontier India is almost sealed off from the Asiatic mainland by the rocky curtain of the Himalayas from Baluchistan to Assam. The only openings in this formidable natural fortification are the various passes of the north-west, such as the famous Khyber and Bolan passes, which wind through the mountains seperating India from the Iranian plateau. Through these gaps came all the migrating tribes and conquerors that made themselves masters of the rich plain of India. The cultural divisions of India proper have always been determined and dominated by the great river systems, the watersheds of the Indus and Ganges, the Deccan plateau and South India.

Climate, no less than geography has played its part in the development of the peculiarly indigenous traits of Indian history and art. All the races of martial character have grown up in the dry and hilly districts of north-west and centre, whereas the fertile plains of Bengal and South have been inhabited by peaceful and unwarlike cultivators. The overpowering nature of India has in a way forced upon the inhabitants an inability to act, a situation responsible for the Indian races having become lost in religiosity. The mystery of Indian myths and Indian art lies partly in the fact that it suggests rather than states. It could truly be said that Indian symbols of art voiced the same truth as Indian philosophy and myth. In India, all art, like all life, is given over to religion. Indian art is life, as interpreted by religion and philosophy. Indian art may, in a general way, be described as theological, hieratic, or, perhaps best of all as traditional.

The purpose of Indian art, like all traditional art, is primarily to instruct men in the great first causes, which according to the seers, govern the material, spiritual and celestial worlds. Art is dedicated to communicating these great truths to mankind and, by the architectural, sculptural and pictorial reconstruction of the powers that maintain the stars in their courses. This site on Indian Heritage www.indian-heritage.org, is a non-commercial site, wherein I attempt to collect and provide information on all topics relating to Indian art, culture and tradition in my spare time. Information has been collected & compiled from books, media, professionals in the related fields. My thanks to all those who have helped me in this venture. I am from Chennai, Tamilnadu, South India.

My mother tongue is Tamil, and as such there are several Tamil words used in the site. Wherever possible, I have tried to provide an explanation for the terms. I am aware that there are several important topics that I have not covered, but this is not out of indifference to the subject. I try to add information on a regular basis. 1. Constitution of India The Constitution of India is a product of the Constituent Assembly, which had been elected for undivided India. The said Assembly held its first sitting on the 9th December 1946. The salient principles of the proposed Constitution had been outlined by various committees of the Assembly such as the Union Constitution Committee, the Union Powers Committee, and Committee on Fundamental Rights.

After a general discussion of the reports of these Committees, the Assembly appointed a Drafting Committee on the 29th August, 1947. The Drafting Committee, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Ambedkar, embodied the decision of the Assembly with alternative and additional proposals in the form of a 'Draft Constitution of India which was published in February 1948. The Constituent Assembly next met in November 1948, to consider the provisions of the Draft, clause by clause. After several sessions the consideration of the clauses or second reading was completed by the 17th October 1949. The Constituent Assembly again sat on the 14th November 1949, for the third reading and finished it on the 26th November 1949.

On the same day the Constitution received the signature of the President of the Assembly and was declared as passed. The provisions relating to citizenship, elections, provisional Parliament, temporary and transitional provisions, were given immediate effect, i.e., from November 26, 1949. The rest of the Constitution came into force on the 26th January 1950, and this date is referred to in the Constitution as the Date of its Commencement.

The Constitution has been amended eighty-six times since its inception, the last amendment being the Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002.

2. Political System of India President of India The President is elected by members of an Electoral College consisting of elected members of both Houses of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of the states, with suitable weightage given to each vote. His term of office is five years. Among other powers, the President can proclaim an emergency in the country if he is satisfied that the security of the country or of any part of its territory is threatened whether by war or external aggression or armed rebellion. When there is a failure of the constitutional machinery in a state, he can take the overall charge or any of the functions of the government of that state. Vice-President The Vice-President is elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. He holds office for five years. The Vice-President is Ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers comprises Cabinet Ministers, Minister of States (independent charge or otherwise) and Deputy Ministers. Prime Minister communicates all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to administration affairs of affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation to the President. Generally, each department has an officer designated as secretary to the Government of India to advise Ministers on policy matters and general administration. The Cabinet Secretariat has an important coordinating role in decision-making at highest level and operates under direction of Prime Minister. The Legislative Arm of the Union, called Parliament, consists of the President, Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and Lok Sabha (Lower House).

All legislation requires consent of both houses of parliament. However, in case of money bills, the will of the Lok Sabha always gets privilege. State Governments The system of government in States closely resembles that of the Centre. There are 25 states and seven Union territories in the country. Union Territories are administered by the President through an Administrator appointed by him. Till 1 February 1992, the Union Territory of Delhi was governed by the Central government through an Administrator appointed by the President of India.

Through a Constitutional amendment in Parliament, the Union Territory of Delhi is now called the National Capital Territory of Delhi from 1 February 1992. Political System The political system of India is a multi-party system that means when more than two parties can realistically compete to become the government. In India, there are several national and state level parties. A recognized political party has been classified as a National Party or a State Party. National parties are those that are recognized in four or more states. They are accorded this status by the Election Commission of India, which periodically reviews the election results in various states.

This recognition helps the political parties to claim certain unique ownership in the state until the next election review. 3. Parliament of India The Parliament in India consists of the President and two Houses. They are called Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Though the President is not a member of either House of Parliament, he is a part of the Parliament. The Lok Sabha is also called House of the People Its membership cannot be more than 550. Of these, not more than 530 members are elected from the states and not more than 20 from the Union Territories.

In addition, not more than two members may be nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community, if the President feels that the Anglo-Indians have not got adequate representation in Parliament. Members of Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people. Each State and Union Territory is allowed to elect as many members as are on the basis at its imputation. Each state is divided into constituencies, which are roughly of the same size in terms of population. One member is elected from one constituency. This means that there will be as many constituencies in India as there are members to be elected to the Lok Sabha.

The members are elected on the basis of universal adult franchise which means that all Indian citizens who are above the age of 18 years have the right to vote and elect their representatives. The term of the Lok Sabha is five years. But the Lok Sabha may be dissolved even earlier by the President on the advice of the Council of ministers headed by the Prime Minister. During an emergency however the tem of the Lok Sabha may be extended by six months at a time by a law passed by the Parliament. The Lok Sabha is presided over by the Speaker. He/she is elected from among its members by the House itself. In the Speaker's absence, the Deputy Speaker presides over the sittings of the Lok Sabha. He is also elected by the House from amongst its members.

The Speaker is an important official of the Lok Sabha. He conducts the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and presides over its meetings. The Rajya Sabha consists-of not more than 250 members. Of these 250 members not more than 238 are elected indirectly by state Legislative Assemblies arid. 12 are nominated by the President. These 12 are eminent people such as writers, artistes, scientists etc. The 238 elected members of the Rajya Sabba are elected by the 'elected' members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States in accordance with the method of proportional representation through a single transferable vote system. Rajya Sabha is a permanent House and it cannot be dissolved by the President. But, its members are elected for a term of 6 years with 1/3rd members retiring after every two years. Elections are held ay two years for 1/3rd seats of the Rajya Sabha. The presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha is known as the Chairman.

The Vice President of India is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha. In his absence, the Deputy Chairman presides over the meetings of the Rajya Sabha. The Deputy Chairman is elected by the Rajya Sabha from amongst in members. The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha performs the work of presiding over the meetings of the Rajya Sabha. But, he cannot vote as he is not a member of the House. He can only exercise a casting vote. When an equal number of members have voted both in favour and against a bill, it is called a tie. The presiding officer may cast their vote so that a decision may be taken. Such a vote is called a Casting Vote.

At least two sessions of the Parliament are held every year. The time gap between the last day of the previous session and the first day of the next session should not be more than six months. In practice, however, normally three sessions are held every year. Sessions of the Parliament are summoned and prorogued by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Lok Sabha (Lower House) Rajya Sabha (Upper House) 4. Government of India Directory 5. Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs In a Parliamentary form of Government, the day-to-day working of the Parliamentary system makes large claims on time and resources of the various Ministries/Departments. Over a period of time, Parliamentary programme covers numerous intricate matters-financial, legislative and non-legislative-concerning various Ministries/Departments of the Government.

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, though small in size, is one of the key Ministries of the Union Government. The task of efficiently handling diverse and enormous parliamentary work on behalf of the Government in the Parliament has been assigned to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. As such, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs serves as an important link between the two Houses of Parliament and the Government in respect of Government Business in Parliament. Created in May, 1949 as a Department entrusted mainly with the above function, it is now a full-fledged Ministry.

6. Election Commission of India India is a Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic and the largest democracy in the World. The modern Indian nation state came into existence on 15th of August 1947. Since then free and fair elections have been held at regular intervals as per the principles enshrined in the Constitution, Electoral Laws and System. The Constitution of India has vested in the Election Commission of India the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for conducting the elections of the Parliament and State Legislatures of every State and also the offices of President and Vice-President of India. Election Commission of India is a permanent Constitutional Body. The Election Commission was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950. Originally the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. For the first time two additional Commissioners were appointed on 16th October 1989 but they had a very short tenure till 1st January 1990. Later on 1st October 1993 two additional Election Commissioners were appointed.

The concept of multi-member Commission has been in operation since then, with decision-making power by majority vote. It currently consists of Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners, for a long time, though; it had only the Chief Election Commissioner. The President appoints Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. They have tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. They enjoy the same status and receive salary and perks as available to Judges of the Supreme Court of India.

The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through impeachment by Parliament. Political parties are registered with the Election Commission under the law. The Commission ensures inner party democracy in their functioning by insisting upon them to hold their organizational elections at periodic intervals. Political Parties so registered with it are granted recognition at the State and National levels by the Election Commission on the basis of their poll performance at general elections according to criteria prescribed by it. The Commission, as a part of its quasi-judicial jurisdiction, also settles disputes between the splinter groups of such recognised parties.

Election Commission ensures a level playing field for the political parties in election fray, through strict observance by them of a Model Code of Conduct evolved with the consensus of political parties. The Commission holds periodical consultations with the political parties on matters connected with the conduct of elections; compliance of Model Code of Conduct and new measures proposed to be introduced by the Commission on election related matters. International Co-operation India is a founding member of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Stockholm, Sweden. In the recent past, the Commission has expanded international contacts by way of sharing of experience and expertise in the areas of Electoral Management and Administration, Electoral Laws and Reforms. Delegates of the Commission have visited Sweden, U.K, Russia, Bangladesh, and the Philippines in recent years.

Election Officials from the national electoral bodies and other delegates from the several countries - Russia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nigeria, Australia and the United States have visited the Commission for a better understanding of the Indian Electoral Process. The Commission has also provided experts and observers for elections to other countries in co-operation with the United Nations and the Commonwealth Secretariat.. New Initiatives The Commission has taken several new initiatives in the recent past. Notable among these are, a scheme for use of State owned Electronic Media for broadcast/telecast by Political parties, restrictions on opinion and exit poll, checking criminalisation of politics, computerisation of electoral rolls, providing electors with Identity Cards, simplifying the procedure for maintenance of accounts and filling of the same by candidates and a variety of measures for strict compliance of Model Code of Conduct, for providing a level playing field to contestants during the elections.

7. Supreme Court of India India has one of the oldest legal systems in the world. Its law and jurisprudence stretches back into the centuries, forming a living tradition, which has grown and evolved with the lives of its diverse people. India's commitment to law is created in the Constitution which constituted India into a Sovereign Democratic Republic, containing a federal system with Parliamentary form of Government in the Union and the States, an independent judiciary, guaranteed Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy containing objectives which though not enforceable in law are fundamental to the governance of the nation. 8. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) The National Human Rights Commission is an expression of India's concern for the protection and promotion of human rights. It came into being in October 1993.

Inquiring into complaints is one of the major activities of the Commission. In several instances individual complaints have led the Commission to the generic issues involved in violation of rights, and enabled it to move the concerned authorities for systemic improvements. However, the Commission also actively seeks out issues in human rights, which are of significance, either suo motu, or when brought to its notice by the civil society, the media, concerned citizens, or expert advisers. Its focus is to strengthen the extension of human rights to all sections of society, in particular, the vulnerable groups. The Commission's purview covers the entire range of civil and political, as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Areas facing terrorism and insurgency, custodial death, rape and torture, reform of the police, prisons, and other institutions such as juvenile homes, mental hospitals and shelters for women have been given special attention.

The Commission has urged the provision of primary health facilities to ensure maternal and child welfare essential to a life with dignity, basic needs such as potable drinking water, food and nutrition, and highlighted fundamental questions of equity and justice to the less privileged, namely the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the prevention of atrocities perpetrated against them. Rights of the disabled, access to public services, displacement of populations and especially of tribals by mega projects, food scarcity and allegation of death by starvation, rights of the child, rights of women subjected to violence, sexual harassment and discrimination, and rights of minorities, have been the focus of the Commission's action on numerous occasions.

9. Finance Commission of India The Finance Commission makes recommendations to the Government on – (i) the distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes, (ii) the principles which should govern the grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States out of the consolidated Fund of India and the sums to be paid to the States which are in need of assistance by way of grants-in-aid of their revenues, and (iii) the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the local governments in villages and cities in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State.

10. Central Vigilance Commission The Central Vigilance Commission was set up by the Government in February 1964 on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption to advise and guide Central Government agencies in the field of vigilance. CVC is conceived to be the apex vigilance institution, free of control from any executive authority, monitoring all vigilance activity under the Central Government and advising various authorities in Central Government organizations in planning, executing, reviewing and reforming their vigilance work. Consequent upon promulgation of an Ordinance by the President, the Central Vigilance Commission has been made a multi member Commission with "statutory status" with effect from 25.08.1998. 11. Union Public Service Commission

The Constituent Assembly, after independence, saw the need for giving a secure and autonomous status to Public Service Commissions both at Federal and Provincial levels for ensuring unbiased recruitment to Civil Services as also for protection of service interests. With the promulgation of the new Constitution for independent India on 26th January, 1950, the Federal Public Service Commission was accorded a constitutional status as an autonomous entity and given the title – Union Public Service Commission

12. National Commission for Minorities The setting up of Minorities Commission was envisaged in the Ministry of Home Affairs Resolution dated 12.01.1978 which specifically mentioned that, "despite the safeguards provided in the Constitution and the laws in force, there persists among the Minorities a feeling of inequality and discrimination. In order to preserve secular traditions and to promote National Integration the Government of India attaches the highest importance to the enforcement of the safeguards provided for the Minorities and is of the firm view that effective institutional arrangements are urgently required for the enforcement and implementation of all the safeguards provided for the Minorities in the Constitution, in the Central and State Laws and in the government policies and administrative schemes enunciated from time to time."

The Minorities Commission was accordingly set up to safeguard the interests of minorities whether based on religion or language. The Commission was renamed as National Commission for Minorities and the first statutory Commission was constituted on 17.05.1993. 13. National Commission for Backward Classes The Government of India enacted the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 for setting up a National Commission for Backward Classes at the Centre as a permanent body.

14. National Commission for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Agency established in 1978 to evaluate the development of minority communities at both the central and state level in India and monitor the safeguards provided in the Constitution..

15. National Commission for Women The National Commission for Women was set up as statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (Act No. 20 of 1990 of Govt.of India) to review the Constitutional and Legal safeguards for women; recommend remedial legislative measures; facilitate redressal of grievances and advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women.

16. Autonomous Central Bank (Reserve Bank of India) The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The Central Office of the Reserve Bank has been in Mumbai since inception, where policies are formulated. Though originally privately owned, since nationalisation in 1949, the Reserve Bank is fully owned by the Government of India. It formulates, implements and monitors the monetary policy; prescribes broad parameters of banking operations within which the country's banking and financial system functions and performs a wide range of promotional functions .

Global Democracy Initiative Behind the facade of moral policing Yarns have been written condemning the Mangalore pub attack, calling it an attempt to Talibanise India. Much of what has made it to print is infact true. But unwittingly, the incident has also sparked off a debate among the gullible about whether it is our culture for women to have a drink or visit pubs.

The fact is that this doesn’t seem to be the point here at all. There is much more than what meets the eye. It therefore becomes essential to lift the lid off the truth. In Black and White Fact One: Who is this Pramod Muthalik? A right wing bigot, he was increasingly being sidelined by his parent party Shiv Sena and had eventually parted ways with them. Looking for ways to reinvent himself at a time when he was being swept aside as an inessential dreg, he became the head of Sri Ram Sena ostensibly to “serve the society by stopping bad behaviour”.

And beneath the veneer of the lofty agenda, he embarked on doing just the opposite and immediately grabbed the spotlight. Struck by the sudden awareness of “Gosh, people know me”, he is now promising to inflict us with more bad behaviour – poking his nose into other people’s business and making a nuisance of himself. That said, light needs to be shed on his dubious past.

There are reports of him being wanted by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad in relation with the Malegaon blast and the failed Hubli bomb incident. He is also reportedly wanted for communal violence against Christians, especially cases related with torching churches. Besides, his party members are believed to have stoned DMK chief Karunanidhi’s daughter Selvi’s house over the Cauvery Water row. And now there is the fresh case of abduction and assault of a CPM MLA’s daughter and another youth.

That Muthalik was arrested, granted bail and then rearrested twice is testimony enough that there is no dearth of cases against him. While he, of course, denies the charges, he has nevertheless been ranting about raising Hindu suicide squads; as if we don’t have our hands full with terrorist elements already. About the Mangalore attack, he said that the intention was to deal with the girls as a brother. If Indians are to begin behaving like this with their sisters, assaulting them and pulling them by their hair, then God save us! But the claim coming from a man with a past as scandalous as this, it is not surprising.

Fact Two: Who were the goons involved in the Mangalore attack? They are not simply members of Ram Sena out there “to protect Indian traditions and values”. It has been reported that most of the cads have previous police records. Either they are petty criminals or even sometimes rioters. To those who have supported girls being told to vacate pubs, an open question is:

Are you willing to make criminals custodians and safe keepers of your culture?

Fact Three: The Karanataka government is dragging its feet on the incident and most of those who should have been languishing behind bars are now out on bail. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, while saying that all action is being taken to maintain law and order, has lent voice against pub culture in consonance with the miscreants. What is lesser known though is that the Shimoga court had recently admitted a plea related with the mysterious death of the CM’s wife Mythra Devi. The lady was found dead in 2004 in a water tank at their family home in Shimoga.

The Chief Minister himself is under the scanner for suppressing facts in the case, and the court plans to take a re-look at all the facts. A CBI inquiry is also being sought to investigate the matter, including the CM’s role in the death. This man now wants to protect the traditions of Indian women! Fact Four: Besides the verity that the government has failed in its duty at both Central and State level to curb vandals, there is another question that is not sufficiently highlighted. We need to spare a thought about how inexplicably streams of roughs suddenly emerge whenever there is a riot or a protest or a rally.

How easy it is in India to whip up a febrile crowd or to hire a knot of ruffians! The root of the problem needs to be explored and axed. The simple fact is that we have unacceptably high level of unemployed youth, who are happy to raise a ruckus for a few hundred rupees. Such is their desperation to make a quick buck that in some cases of riots they don’t just go on a looting spree of valuables, there have been instances of them picking eggs, butter and bread from refrigerators! Creation of employment opportunities at the grassroots level will help stem the problem to a large extend.

Measures must be taken to ensure that vocational education is popularized so that youth start earning guerdon immediately after finishing such courses. For I am willing to lay a wager that no man with a job would care to spend time on the streets, given a chance. If there was a genuine concern to protect Indian customs or highlight the ill effects of liquor, why were women picked specifically. The health of men must be of equal concern to us. After all the problem of drinking among men in India is infinitely higher than women.

There are dozen a dime cases of men squandering money on alcohol even when their poor families are starving. Often they die from the habit leaving their wives and children penniless. But the vulnerable are always easier targets, so obviously the unsuspecting girls fell prey. Why also were more civilized methods like dharnas, forums or street plays not chosen as means to achieve the end of spreading awareness about our traditions? That simply because seeds of creativity do not ferment in dense heads.

The fact is that protecting Indian culture was never a motive in the first place. But now that the issue has arisen, let’s set the record straight. The history of Indian epicure is filled with examples of local brews being consumed by both men and women in this country in the past centuries. While the idea is not about whether we should or should not do what we did in the past, we must let the people, in a moderately open society like ours, take decisions about what they feel is in their best interest. And as for hooligans, who take law into their own hands and harass people, they should be immediately thrown into jail and given a severe thrashing; for that’s the only language that they understand.

Gandhi & Nehru

They were opposite in nature, but they shared a passion for freedom and justice, and together created a giant of democracy By Shashi Tharoor The 20th century produced many remarkable leaders, but few nations were blessed with a pair quite like India's Mahatma Gandhi and his protégé Jawaharlal Nehru. Gandhi was idealistic, quirky, quixotic and determined, a cross between a saint and a ward politician; like the best crossbreeds, he managed to distill the qualities of both and yet transcend their contradictions. Nehru was a moody, idealistic intellectual who felt an almost mystical empathy for the toiling peasant masses; an aristocrat who had passionate socialist convictions; a product of Harrow and Cambridge who spent over 10 years in British jails; an agnostic radical who became an unlikely follower of the deeply spiritual Mahatma.

Together they brought a nation to freedom and laid the underpinnings for the world's largest democracy. Gandhi was the extraordinary leader of the world's first successful nonviolent movement for independence from colonial rule. To describe his method, he coined the expression satyagraha—literally, "holding on to truth" or, as he variously described it, truth force, love force or soul force. He disliked the English term passive resistance because satyagraha required activism, not passivity. If you believed in truth and cared enough to obtain it, Gandhi felt, you could not afford to be passive. You had to be prepared actively to suffer for truth.

It was satyagraha that first bound Nehru to Gandhi, soon after the latter's return to India in 1915 from a long sojourn in South Africa, where his morally charged leadership of the Indian community against racial discrimination had earned him the sobriquet of Mahatma ("Great Soul," a term he detested). Gandhi's unique method of resistance through civil disobedience, allied to a talent for organization, gave the Indian nationalist movement both a saint and a strategist. His singular insight was that self-government would never be achieved by the resolutions passed by a self-regarding and unelected élite pursuing the politics of the drawing room. To him, self-government had to involve the empowerment of India's suffering multitudes in whose name the upper classes were clamoring for Home Rule.

This position did not go over well with India's political class, which consisted largely of maharajahs and lawyers—men of means who discoursed in English and demanded the rights of Englishmen. To put his principles into practice, Gandhi lived in near-absolute poverty in an ashram and traveled across the land in third-class railway compartments, campaigning against untouchability, poor sanitation and child marriage, while also preaching an eclectic set of virtues from sexual abstinence and frequent enemas to the weaving of hand-spun cotton cloth.

That he was an eccentric was beyond doubt. That he had touched a chord amongst the masses was equally apparent. That he was a potent political force soon became clear. He captured the imagination of the nation by publicly breaking English law in the name of a higher law ("the voice of conscience") and challenging the British to jail him. Despite differences over both tactics (Nehru wanted independence immediately whereas Gandhi believed Indians had to be made ready for their own freedom) and philosophy (the agnostic Nehru had little patience for the Mahatma's spirituality), the two men proved a formidable combination. Gandhi guided Nehru to the political pinnacle; Nehru in turn proved an inspirational campaigner as President of the Indian National Congress, electrifying the nation with his speeches and tireless travel. Gandhi took the issue of freedom to the masses as one of simple right and wrong and gave them a technique to which the British had no response.

By abstaining from violence Gandhi wrested the moral advantage. By breaking the law nonviolently he demonstrated the injustice of the law. By accepting the punishments imposed on him he confronted his captors with their own brutalization. By voluntarily imposing suffering upon himself in his hunger strikes he demonstrated the lengths to which he was prepared to go in defense of what he considered right. Gandhi's moral rectitude and Nehru's political passion made the perpetuation of British rule an impossibility. Of course there was much more to Gandhism—physical self-denial, self-reliance, a belief in the human capacity for selfless love, religious ecumenism, idealistic internationalism, and a passionate commitment to equality and social justice.

The improvement of his fellow human beings was arguably more important to him than the political goal of ridding India of the British. But it is his central tenet of nonviolence in the pursuit of these ends that represents his most significant original contribution to the world. Martin Luther King in the U.S., Adolfo Pérez Esquivel in Argentina, Nelson Mandela in South Africa and Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma all sought inspiration from the Mahatma's teachings. Upon Gandhi's assassination in 1948, a year after independence, Nehru, the country's first Prime Minister, became the keeper of the national flame, the most visible embodiment of India's struggle for freedom.

Gandhi's death could have led Nehru to assume untrammeled power. Instead, he spent a lifetime trying to instill the habits of democracy in his people—a disdain for dictators, a respect for parliamentary procedures, an abiding faith in the constitutional system. He himself was such a convinced democrat that, at the crest of his rise, he authored an anonymous article warning Indians of the dangers of giving dictatorial temptations to Jawaharlal Nehru. "He must be checked," he wrote of himself. "We want no Caesars." During Nehru's 17 years as Prime Minister, democratic values became so entrenched that when his daughter Indira suspended India's freedoms with a State of Emergency for 21 months, she felt compelled to return to the Indian people for vindication, held an election, and comprehensively lost it. While the world was disintegrating into fascism, violence and war in the 20th century, Gandhi taught the virtues of truth, nonviolence and peace.

The principal pillars of Nehru's legacy—democratic institution-building, staunch pan-Indian secularism, socialist economics at home and a foreign policy of nonalignment—were all integral to a vision of Indianness that sustained the nation for decades. Today, both legacies are fundamentally contested, and many Indians have strayed from the ideals bequeathed to them by Gandhi and Nehru. Yet they, in their very different ways, each represented that rare kind of leader who is not diminished by the inadequacies of his followers. The American editor Norman Cousins once asked Nehru what he hoped his legacy to India would be. "Four hundred million people capable of governing themselves," Nehru replied. The numbers have grown, but the very fact that each day over a billion Indians govern themselves in a pluralist democracy is testimony to the deeds and words of these two men. Shashi Tharoor, an Under Secretary-General at the United Nations, is the author of India: From Midnight to the Millennium and Nehru: The Invention of India

NO MATTER INDIA ACHIEVED SLOW PROGRESS IN DEVELOPMENT BUT IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD THE SOCIETY WITH VALUES,PRINCIPLES,GOALS WHICH ARE EVEN MPORE IMPORTANT BUILDING UP INSTITUTIONS TO DELIVER ,MAKE EVERY INDIA TO FEEL PROUD IN 2009 THAT THE WORLD SHOULD SEE TO HIM AS A SELF RESPECTING INDIVIDUAL.

THOUGH USA WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE TO BACK UP PAKISTAN SINCE BEING CONTINUING ALLY OF NATO WHERE INDIA THOUGHT BETTER TO BE A NON ALIGNED NATION,DEVELOPED PRODUCING 35 MILLION TONS OF OIL FROM NEAR MEAGRE,BUILD FRIENDSHIP WITH ALL NATIONS BASED ON SOCIALISM,EQUALITY FOR ALL RELIGIONS,ADVISING VALUE SYSTEM THOUGH MAY NOT JUMP TO MAKE LONG TERM FRIENDS MERELY TO JOIN NATO OR CUMMUNIST BLOCK BUT FOLLOW INDEPENDENT GROWTH THROUGH 5000 YEARS OF ITS CULTURE,SCIENCE AND HERITAGE.

A DAY IS COMING WHEN INDIA WILL BE ONE OF THE PERMANENT POWERFUL NATION,A LEADING COUNTRY TO LEAD THE WORLD IN MORAL,NON VOILENT TECHNIQUE TO GET RID OF TERRORISM THROUGH FAITH IN ALL RELIGIONS,FREE EXPRESSION & SECULAR DEMOCRACY.

INDIA WILL LOOK FOR FRIENDS LIKE MARTIN LUTHER KING & MAHATMA GANDHI WHO CAN WIN HEARTS THROUGH FEARLESS DEMOCRACY.