President-elect Barack Obama announces National Security Team

Key members of Obama-Biden national security team announced

Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State, Secretary Robert Gates to remain Secretary of Defense

Chicago -- President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden officially announced key members of their national security team today: nominating Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, selecting Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain as Secretary of Defense, nominating Eric Holder as Attorney General, nominating Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, nominating Susan Rice as Ambassador to the United Nations and selecting General Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) as National Security Adviser.

"In this uncertain world, the time has come for a new beginning -- a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century, and to seize the opportunities embedded in those challenges. To succeed, we must pursue a new strategy that skillfully uses, balances, and integrates all elements of American power: our military and diplomacy; our intelligence and law enforcement; our economy and the power of our moral example. The team that we have assembled here today is uniquely suited to do just that. They share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America's role as a leader in the world," said President-elect Obama.

"It is an honor to be a part of this team, led by the President-elect -- a team that will see to it that America can lead the world not only by the example of our power, but also by the power of our example. I believe we have assembled a national security team that is poised to recapture the totality of America’s strength," said Vice President-elect Biden.

Source: change.gov

President-elect Barack Obama's Economic Team Leadership

Watch President-elect Barack Obama annoucing his Economic Team Leadership:




Source: barackobama.com

US President-elect Obama's first press conference

US President-elect Obama's first press conference
Rescue plan for Middle Class, Creation of Jobs, Economy are of high priority



Source: MSNBC

Obama becomes 44th US President, makes history

Change comes to America

Obama becomes 44th US President - a HISTORIC CHOICE

With nearly 52% of votes and crossing the 270 to win Barack Obama gathered around 349 to become the first African origin President of the United States of America. Erasing the racial barriers, Americans send Barack Obama to the White House... Obama is the first African-American to be elected President of the United States, and was the first African-American to be nominated for President by a major U.S. political party.

NYT: Near-flawless run from start to finish
Obama's journey to the presidency was marked by organization, discipline

New York Times: The story of Barack Obama’s journey to the pinnacle of American politics is the story of a campaign that was, even in the view of many rivals, almost flawless.

Source: MSNBC






On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois. The choice of the announcement site was symbolic because it was also where Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic "House Divided" speech in 1858. Throughout the campaign, Obama has emphasized the issues of rapidly ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and providing universal health care, at one point identifying these as his top three priorities.

On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama defeated John McCain to become the 44th President of the United States and the first African American President in U.S. history.

In his victory speech, delivered before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of his supporters in Chicago, Obama proclaimed that "change has come to America." Echoing the rhetoric of Martin Luther King ("I've Been to the Mountaintop" address), he declared, "The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even in one term, but America I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there."

Source of videos / contents: msnbc.com, barackobama.com, wikipedia

US Elections 2008

Bush: 'Reason to be confident', 'Lot of work to do' before leaving office

Bush: 'Reason to be confident'

In his weekly radio address, President Bush says the government has a strategy and the tools to fix the economy.

Source: CNN

Soft skills for success

A simple, easy and innovative model to leverage soft skills for success - the four basics: belief, passion, attitude and perseverance and the two dynamics: decision making and problem solving. Thats it! So simple, so easy :) thats the BelPaP-DeMaPs Model - Enjoy!!!

Tony Robbins on Today Show - MSNBC Video

Tony Robbins as seen on Today Show

Watch Tony’s appearance on the TODAY Show about ways to take back control of your life in this troubled economy.

Source: tonyrobbins.com

Celebrating ten years of Google

Google is ten years old now !!!



Source: MSNBC

The Digital Book

Source: CNN

Physics of Startups - Shai Agassi, SAP AG

SAP AG Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Lecture
2007-04-25
47 min. 16 sec.
ID: 1684

Description
Shai Agassi discusses his entrepreneurial journey from the enterprise software industry to his current work in clean energy. In the process, he describes the "physics of startups", drawing parallels between principles of business and the laws of physics. He emphasizes the importance of acting on an idea before it's adopted by the mainstream and navigating the inevitable uncertainties that can result in success or failure.


More Videos
Success, Failure and Timing (00:37)
Importance of Money (02:16)
Physics of a Startup (01:42)
Three Circles of Happiness (02.24)

Source: Stanford's Entrepreneurship Corner

Soft Skills for Success - Audio, Video and Podcasts

CSN World - Soft Skills for Success - Blog with Audio, Video and Podcasts

Check out this blog on Soft Skills for Success rich with audio, video and podcasts. The innovative model for soft skills enhancement - BelPAP - DeMaPs Model ^TM is simple, easy and effective.

Brought to you from the house of Rhythym, CSNWorld is an initiative by Rhythym aimed at helping people enhance their softskills, realize their potential and achieve success in career, happiness in life - helping people move towards a better tomorrow.

This blog on Soft Skills for Success is published by CSNWorld, a venture of Career Success Networks (CSN), an initiative of Rhythym Networks Pvt Ltd. CSN comprises of different offerings in various sectors and multiple platforms, all of them focused on enabling people move towards a better tomorrow and lead a better life by being successful in what they pursue as their career.

URL: http://csnworld.wordpress.com/

New visions for mobile

May 28 - A new mobile phone design for the visually-impaired wins the innovation award at the inaugural Mobile Experience Design Competition.

The BSR Blind Phone, Zeemote and the Couple It are among the mobile concepts attracting attention at the Mobile User Experience (MEX) conference in London.

Reuters' Technology Correspondent Matt Cowan has a look at the technologies being touted as the next big things in mobile.

Source: Reuters

DHL India conferred Frost & Sullivan Award

DHL India Conferred the Frost & Sullivan's 'Best International Logistics Service Provider in India' and 'Best Brand Awareness in the Indian Logistics Industry' Award for 2007

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Monday, May 26, 2008 -- (Business Wire India) -- DHL India has been awarded the 'Best International Logistics Service Provider' and the 'Best Brand Awareness in the Indian Logistics Industry' for the year 2007 by Frost & Sullivan. This award is in recognition of its outstanding performance in customer experience and satisfaction for the year 2007.

Frost & Sullivan has been conducting studies on the logistics industry in India among various industry verticals to understand customer expectations with regard to their logistics service providers; also to benchmark current performance of the industry against these expectations. This year, a total of eight verticals were considered namely, Retail, Consumer Durables, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Automotive, Automotive Components, Pharmaceuticals and Information Technology. Opinions from top industry participants from each vertical were taken into consideration.

Respondents were asked to rate each of their logistics service providers on various parameters such as general parameters, transportation, warehousing, 3PL and freight forwarding. Apart from these parameters, direct questions pertaining to brand awareness and best international service provider were asked. Best Brand Awareness and Best International Service Provider scores were based on top-of-the-mind responses for a service provider.

In both these categories, DHL topped with the highest score. The company scored on key parameters like ability to deliver on time, damage control of materials at warehouse and transit, consignment tracking facility and transparency in processes.

While presenting the award, Anand Rangachary, Managing Director, Frost & Sullivan, South Asia & Middle East, said, "DHL India focuses on select industry verticals providing customers the benefit of working with the specialist and not just a logistics provider. DHL operates with the aim of building partnerships and works closely with customers, often shoulder-to-shoulder with the management teams of the customer organization. Know-how of the people coupled with industry-leading solutions provide DHL with a real competitive advantage."

Craig Grossgart, Country Manager - DHL India, on receiving the award said, "We are delighted to receive this award from Frost & Sullivan. It is a vindication of our efforts to bring world class express service to our customers in India and be their First Choice. The DHL brand in India is now synonymous with reliability, speed and unmatched expertise. Our product innovations and customized solutions have contributed to our leadership position."

Speaking on the growth and on DHL India plans, Mr. Craig Grossgart said, "Logistics is the barometer of the economic growth of a country and India is on a fast growth path. With our global expertise, and our consistent investments in India, DHL is poised for greater heights in customer service and operational excellence."

About DHL
DHL is a global logistics service provider. The company has formed a new venture in India - DHL Lemuir Logistics, which consolidates its position as the leader in International Freight Forwarding, Supply Chain Management, Project Transport and Custom Brokerage. DHL focuses on select industry verticals providing benefit of being a specialist. Industry verticals catered include - automotive, industrial, life sciences/healthcare, chemical, retail, consumer goods, fashion, technology, aerospace and industrial projects.

About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com.

Source: Business Wire India

Superb Blog on Tamil Veg Food

And here comes a great blog on Tamil Veg Food!!!

Preiyha Rajesh has posted a new blog on Tamil Vegetarian Food - a nice blog focussed on helping people with cooking typical South Indian - Tamil Veg food.

The blog has been structured well with appropriate user friendly sub titles - Ingredients, How To along with Notes & Additional Options. Photos of the food items makes it even more interesting and attractive while it makes the blog visually appealing.

Of special mention is the Tamil translation available for the ingredients and the food items!


Preiyha currently lives with her husband Rajesh Venkatesan in the Silicon Valley area in Sunnyvale, California. She was born & brought up in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She specializes in cooking authentic South Indian Veg food, especially typical Tamil vegetarian food.

Take a look at TamilVeg Blog now.

Baba Amte passes away

Noted social activist and Magsaysay award winner Murlidhar Devidas Amte alias Baba Amte passed away in Anandwan ashram in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra on Saturday, February 9th, 2008. He was 94.

Baba Amte passed away at 4:15 am, his son Dr Vikas told PTI.

One of the country's most respected social leaders, Amte devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients.

He is survived by two sons.

Baba Amte won numerous awards during his life, including Padma Shree (1971) and Padma Vibhushan (1986), most notably the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1985. He was chosen for his work-oriented rehabilitation of Indian leprosy patients and other handicapped outcasts.

In 1999, he was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for his exemplary work for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients and his concept of the "Shramik Vidyapeeth" (Workers' University) where patients and volunteers work together.

All monetary proceeds from of his awards were used for his social projects.

Source: Rediff , Wikipedia

Mahesh Yogi's body reaches Allahabad

Allahabad: The body of internationally-renowned spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who popularised transcendental meditation across the globe reached here from his base in Netherlands, Saturday. The seer, who initiated the British pop-rock band Beatles into Indian spiritualism and transcendental meditation, died Tuesday, February 5, 2008, Vlodrop, Netherlands.

On January 11, 2008, he announced his retirement from all administrative activities and went into Mouna (spiritual silence). He declared: "Invincibility is irreversibly established in the world. My work is done. My designated duty to Guru Dev is fulfilled." Like many Hindu sages, he foresaw his imminent samadhi; he died less than a month later.

The chartered flight carrying the body of the Maharishi, along with at least 250 of his European devotees, landed Saturday morning at Varanasi. The body was carried in an open truck adorned with flowers, flanked by special convoys of cars and buses, along the 120-km route.

After reaching Allahabad around noon, the body was taken in a procession through the city streets to a local ashram run by Hindu cleric Swami Vasudevanand. The body was kept at the ashram for nearly three hours before reaching its final destination at the religious school run by Mahesh Yogi's organisation - Maharishi Ved Vidyapeeth - in Arail on the bank of the Ganga river here. The cortege reached the Vidyapeeth around 4.30 p.m. where his followers began to pour in to pay their last respects.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief Ashok Singhal, Swami Vasudevanand and several prominent seers joined the procession. The Vidyapeeth, created by the Maharishi as a part of his mission to promote Vedic teachings, was also a gift to his native town from where he completed his school education and obtained his masters degree in Physics.Spread over a sprawling campus, the Vidyapeeth has about 2,500 students pursuing a their education in the traditional Indian style.

The streets of Allahabad were clogged by the long motorcade that drew huge crowds to have a last glimpse of the spiritual icon. Mahesh Yogi's body has been kept in a specially erected enclosure at the Vidyapeeth where it will remain open to public on Sunday. According to the Maharishi's nephew Prakash Srivastava, the cremation will take place on the banks of Ganga in the vicinity of the Vidyapeeth Monday morning.

After the Maharishi's death on February 5, 2008, Sir Paul McCartney released a statement saying, "Whilst I am deeply saddened by his passing, my memories of him will only be joyful ones. He was a great man who worked tirelessly for the people of the world and the cause of unity. I will never forget the dedication that he wrote inside a book he once gave me, which read 'radiate, bliss, consciousness', and that to me says it all. I will miss him but will always think of him with a smile." Ringo Starr released a statement saying, "One of the wise men I met in my life was the Maharishi. I always was impressed by his joy and I truly believe he knows where he is going."

Source: MSN, Wikipedia

Yahoo! to evaluate Microsoft proposal

Yahoo! Board of Directors to Evaluate Unsolicited Proposal From Microsoft

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb 01, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today said that it has received an unsolicited proposal from Microsoft to acquire the Company. The Company said that its Board of Directors will evaluate this proposal carefully and promptly in the context of Yahoo!'s strategic plans and pursue the best course of action to maximize long-term value for shareholders.

Source: Yahoo!

Microsoft bids $44.6 billion to buy Yahoo

Microsoft Proposes Acquisition of Yahoo! for $31 per Share

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 1, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) today announced that it has made a proposal to the Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) Board of Directors to acquire all the outstanding shares of Yahoo! common stock for per share consideration of $31 representing a total equity value of approximately $44.6 billion. Microsoft’s proposal would allow the Yahoo! shareholders to elect to receive cash or a fixed number of shares of Microsoft common stock, with the total consideration payable to Yahoo! shareholders consisting of one-half cash and one-half Microsoft common stock. The offer represents a 62 percent premium above the closing price of Yahoo! common stock on Jan. 31, 2008.

“We have great respect for Yahoo!, and together we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “We believe our combination will deliver superior value to our respective shareholders and better choice and innovation to our customers and industry partners.”

“Our lives, our businesses, and even our society have been progressively transformed by the Web, and Yahoo! has played a pioneering role by building compelling, high-scale services and infrastructure,” said Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft. “The combination of these two great teams would enable us to jointly deliver a broad range of new experiences to our customers that neither of us would have achieved on our own.”

The online advertising market is growing at a very fast pace, from over $40 billion in 2007 to nearly $80 billion by 2010. The resulting benefits of scale along with the associated capital costs for advertising platform providers make this a time of industry consolidation and convergence. Today this market is increasingly dominated by one player. Together, Microsoft and Yahoo! can offer a competitive choice while better fulfilling the needs of customers and partners.

“The combined assets and strong services focus of these two companies will enable us to achieve scale economics while reaching R&D critical mass to deliver innovation breakthroughs,” said Kevin Johnson, president of the Platforms & Services Division of Microsoft. “The industry will be well served by having more than one strong player, offering more value and real choice to advertisers, publishers and consumers.”

Source: Microsoft

Deborah Gordon: How do ants know what to do?

About this Talk
Armed with a backhoe and a handful of markers, Deborah Gordon studies ant colonies in the Arizona desert. She asks: How do these chitinous creatures get down to business -- and even multitask when they need to -- with no language, memory or visible leadership? Her answers could lead to a better understanding of all complex systems, from the brain to the Web.



About Deborah M. Gordon
Ant biologist Deborah M. Gordon has spent decades digging in the Arizona desert to decipher the chemical, genetic and behavioral codes of ant colonies. Contrary to the popular notion that colonies have evolved into efficient, organized systems, she has instead discovered that the long evolution of the ant colony has resulted in a system driven by accident, adaptation and the chaos and "noise" of unconscious communication.

Gordon, a Stanford professor, wrote the acclaimed book Ants at Work, outlining her discoveries in generous, nontechnical detail.

"What (Gordon) has discovered by charting the life cycles of 300 ant colonies spread across a 25-acre swath of chapparal are findings which upset many of our assumptions about how the world works."
APF Reporter

Piyush Bobby Jindal is Louisiana's 55th Governor

Bobby Jindal was sworn in as 55th Governor of Louisiana at Baton Rouge

Jindal said, "We come to the steps of this historic Capitol today to celebrate not just an election, but a new beginning. We are here not for one man to take an oath, but for one people to make commitments to each other."

"For reasons none of us can understand or fully appreciate, history has placed all of us --every living Louisianan, those within her borders and without -- in a position previous generations could only envy."

Bobby Jindal, the 36-year-old son of Indian immigrants, was sworn in today as Louisiana’s 55th Governor and immediately moved to make good on a campaign promise, saying he will call a February special legislative session on ethics to help cleanse the hurricane-battered state’s corrupt image.

Louisiana’s first nonwhite Governor since Reconstruction, the nation’s first elected Indian-American Governor and the nation’s youngest sitting Governor, Jindal pledged to overcome the stereotype of the state as a haven for cronyism and self-serving politicians.

Jindal declared that "under the spotlight of the world, with generosity from many and a clear call to common purpose, we have the opportunity to make a lasting and positive change."

We have the opportunity to make this change not over the course of decades. but in short order," he added.

Jindal said "we have the opportunity -- born of tragedy but embraced still the same -- to make right decades of failure in government."

He noted that "you have often heard me say that we do not have a poor state, but a state with poor leadership. That we do not have a state stuck in the past, but leaders who were unconcerned with the future."

Jindal argued that "if we are honest with ourselves, we can all agree that so many of the stereotypes rang true."

"In our past, too many politicians looked out for themselves. The many arms of state and local government did not get results. And the world took note. Those stereotypes cost us credibility. They cost us investment. They cost us jobs."

He exhorted, "Let us all resolve, Democrats and Republicans, North Louisiana and South, leaders of all races and religions, elected and un-elected, let us all resolve that era ends today."

Jindal predicted that "we can build a Louisiana where our leaders and our people set the highest standards and hold every member of our government accountable." He ended with his now signature line, with the crowd vowing along with him that, "We can change, we must change, we will change."

Source: Rediff, The Town Talk

2008 International Consumer Electronics Show

2008 International Consumer Electronics Show

Source: CES Blogs

Matsushita unveils world's biggest TV

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Japanese electronics conglomerate Matsushita Electric Industrial Co introduced on Monday a 150-inch plasma television, which it says is the world's biggest.

The new TV boasts four times better resolution than full high-definition 1080p picture quality and offers a screen the size of nine 50-inch plasma televisions. It was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by Toshihiro Sakamoto, president of Panasonic AVC Networks Co.

Matsushita's new screen, which measures 12-1/2 feet when measured diagonally, tops the Panasonic brand maker's 103-inch plasma TV released last year. The 103-inch television has sold 3,000 units over the last year, Matsushita said.

Source: Reuters