Happy Birthday Tiger Woods

Rhythym salutes and wishes Tiger Woods on his birthday

Tiger Woods was born on December 30, 1975 in Cypress, California to Earl and Kultida Woods.

Tiger Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, Woods was the highest paid professional athlete in 2006, having earned an estimated $100 million from winnings and endorsements.

For the ninth time in 11 years, Tiger Woods has been selected Player of the Year - 2007 by the Golf Writers Association of America. He will be honored at the GWAA's Annual Awards Dinner, April 9, 2008 in Augusta, Ga.

Source: Tiger Woods, Wikipedia

Citi Board Names Vikram Pandit Chief Executive Officer and Sir Win Bischoff Chairman

Pandit says "Simplifying the company's organizational structure and aligning our businesses and resources with appropriate goals and economic realities will be among our initial priorities"

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) December 11, 2007 New York – The Board of Directors of Citi today announced that it has appointed Vikram Pandit as the company's new Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Sir Win Bischoff, who has been acting Chief Executive Officer since November 4, 2007, will succeed Chairman Robert E. Rubin, who will return to his previous duties as a member of the Citigroup Board of Directors and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board.

Mr. Pandit was most recently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Institutional Clients Group, which comprises Citi Markets & Banking and Citi Alternative Investments. Previously, he was a founding member and chairman of Old Lane, LP, a multi-strategy hedge fund and private equity fund manager acquired by Citi in 2007. Prior to founding Old Lane, Mr. Pandit held a number of senior positions at Morgan Stanley over more than two decades, including President and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley's Institutional Securities Group, which included Morgan Stanley's investment banking, fixed income and capital markets businesses.

Sir Win has had a distinguished and successful career in financial services, serving as Chairman of Schroders plc before joining Citi in 2000, with the acquisition of Schroders' investment banking business by a Citi predecessor company. Most recently, he has chaired Citi's growing businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Source: Citi

Honeywell Wins Three Frost & Sullivan Awards Recognising Excellence in Building Integration Technologies

Honeywell Building Solutions (HBS) bags Frost & Sullivan Awards

(BW)(FROST-&-SULLIVAN) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Thursday, December 13, 2007 -- (Business Wire India) -- Frost & Sullivan has announced that Honeywell Building Solutions (HBS) won three awards at the recently held Building Technologies Excellence Awards 2007, a first of its kind for India. HBS was awarded Best Company of the Year for Electronic Security Systems Integration (India), Energy Management Services (India) and Integrated Building Management Systems (India).The Awards, based on detailed industry research, recognize Best Practices and outstanding performance by companies in India's Fire Safety, Security and Building Management Systems industry and its segments.

Source: Business Wire India

168 new members in Billionaire Club

Dollar billionaires more than double to 48; real estate barons have a field day

Powered by the booming stock markets, India produced 168 new billionaires — easily the highest ever — in 2006-07. As many as 30 have moved up at least 100 places — another record.

As a result, the membership of the Billionaire Club has touched 533 and their combined wealth stands at Rs 12.32 lakh crore. The top five are worth over Rs 50,000 crore each.

To put these figures in context, eight years ago, when Business Standard compiled its first list of the wealthiest people in the country, the 100 that comprised it were worth Rs 84,000 crore.

The details of the rankings of India’s richest are being carried in The Billionaire Club magazine, which is being distributed free with the paper today.

There are now 48 Indians with wealth above $1 billion (Rs 4,000 crore, or Rs 40 billion), making them dollar billionaires. There were 23 last year and only three in 1999.

Source: Business Standard

C K Prahalad is World's Most Influential Thinker (Thinkers 50 2007)

Prahalad voted the world's most influential living management thinker

Coimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad (C K Prahalad), India-born management guru and academician, has been voted the world's most influential living management thinker ahead of hands-on managers like Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan and Richard Branson.

Prahalad, who is the first Indian-origin thinker to claim the title, was ranked number three in last year's Thinkers 50 list brought out by Suntop Media.

C. K. Prahalad, the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, is a globally known figure and has consulted with the top management of many of the world's foremost companies. His research specializes in corporate strategy and the role and value added of top management in large, diversified, multinational corporations.


Source: Thinkers50, Rediff, University of Michigan

Mackinac Bridge celebrates 50 years

Side profile of the Mackinac Bridge taken from the shoreline in Mackinaw City near Fort Michilimackinac (southwest side of the Mackinac Bridge). The photo was taken by Tim Burke, photographer for the Michigan Department of Transportation.

50th Anniversary Celebration
The Mackinac Bridge is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957.

The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge (including anchorages) is 8,614 feet.

Photo Courtesy of Michigan State Police Photo Lab

50th Anniversary of Official Opening
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Free 50th anniversary memento for crossing the bridge on November 1st (while supplies last)

API and UPI correspondants who covered opening of Mackinac Bridge in 1957 will take part in 50th anniversary ceremonies

LANSING - October 26, 2007 - Two news service correspondents who were present when the Mackinac Bridge linking Michigan’s two peninsulas was opened to traffic on Nov. 1, 1957 will participate in ceremonies next Thursday (Nov. 1) commemorating the 50th anniversary of that event.

Tom Shawver, then a correspondent for the Associated Press, and Tom Farrell, who covered the opening for United Press International, were within a few feet of the toll booth when Gov. G. Mennen Williams paid the first $3.25 toll collected on the $100-millian-dollar span at 1:59 P.M. that day.

Source: Mackinac Bridge Authority

Sybase Chairman, CEO and President John S. Chen Receives 2007 New Silk Road Award from California-Asia Business Council

Award Recognizes Outstanding Contributions to Improving Business Ties with Asia

DUBLIN, CA — OCTOBER 29, 2007 — Sybase, Inc. (NYSE: SY), a leading provider of enterprise infrastructure and mobile software, today announced that Chairman, CEO and President John S. Chen was honored by the California-Asia Business Council (Cal-Asia) with its 2007 New Silk Road Award. The award recognizes each year one individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the development and growth of U.S.-Asia commerce.

“John Chen is being honored for building strong markets for American technology in China, Japan, Korea and elsewhere in Asia, and for vigorously championing the expansion of healthy U.S.-Asia commerce in Congress and in industry and policy forums,” said Brad Aris, senior vice president of Wells Fargo HSBC Trade Bank, San Francisco, and chairman of Cal-Asia's award committee.

The New Silk Road Award program, now in its 13th year, honors individuals who foster a healthy and active business environment between the East and the West. The name of the award symbolizes both the ancient trade routes between Asia and the Western world, and the economic importance of today's trans-Pacific commerce.

“I am honored to receive this award and offer my sincere thanks to the California-Asia Business Council for creating a forum that recognizes important contributions to strengthen business ties between the U.S. and Asia,” said John Chen. “I look forward to continuing to be part of this force and forge a greater, more robust trade relationship.”

Source: Sybase

Full text of Chen’s speech can be found at www.asianight.org/JohnChenRemarks.html.