Earth Hour

On 29 March 2008, millions of people in some of the world's biggest cities will unite and switch off for one hour - Earth Hour - sending a powerful national and global message that it's possible to take action on global warming.

Last year On March 31, 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour — Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.

With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.

After Strong backing from the City of Sydney and its Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, helped to make Earth Hour 2008 an international event.

Over 9000 businesses and 136,000 individuals had indicated their intention to participate at earthhour.org

Earth Hour 2008 will include the following "partner cities".

Aalborg, Denmark
Aarhus, Denmark
Adelaide, Australia
Atlanta, United States
Bangkok, Thailand
Brisbane, Australia
Canberra, Australia
Chicago, United States
Christchurch, New Zealand
Copenhagen, Denmark
Dubai, UAE
Dublin, Ireland
Lautoka, Fiji
Manila, Philippines
Melbourne, Australia
Montreal, Canada
Odense, Denmark
Ottawa, Canada
Perth, Australia
Phoenix, United States
San Francisco, United States
Suva, Fiji
Sydney, Australia
Tel Aviv, Israel
Toronto, Canada
Vancouver, Canada

This is going to happen every year, as a biggest democracy and the second largest populated nation we should add at least one Indian city to list. Sign up to participate in this program and save our earth For more details visit http://www.earthhour.org/

Is it Best time to buy a Property in Bangalore?

Is it Best time to buy a Property in Bangalore?

You like to buy a property in Bangalore rather anywhere in India?
Wait! Wait! Wait for a year or so. The property bubble is almost bust? You must have read it in some of the magazines. You must have read it like “its right time to invest” in Bangalore properties, these magazines say half truth, yes the “property bubble is bust” but still its not right time to buy a property in Bangalore. These kinds of “property bubble is bust, right time to invest” articles are another desperate action by the property builders/owners/infrastructure companies and brokers to step up the falling property market.

The real scenario is there is over supply of properties, especially the apartments. Yes there are thousands of apartments built and finished across Bangalore and yet attracts no buyers! Yes that’s true! The big property owners who can withstand the market fall are holding on to it yet, but not ready to sell it for the lesser price.
Some of the marketing companies are especially employed just to sell the exciting apartments. For example “Orange properties” as such they are not builders but employed only to sell of the left over apartments.

Asipac a real estate company conducted a survey and states that property prices in the city have dropped by at least 10 to 20 per cent in the past one year. The survey results say that prices have come down by 20 per cent in areas like Sarjapur.

THE BANGALORE PROPERTY FALL…

East Bangalore Drop from Rs 3,100/sq ft to Rs 2,100/sq ft
South Bangalore Drop from Rs 6,400/sq ft to Rs 4,000/sq ft
South East Bangalore Drop from Rs 5,300/sq ft to Rs 3500/sq ft
North Bangalore Prices unchanged

Still after the fall, this is unaffordable for some of the highly earning people, after the US market recession and Indian stock market’s great fall. The property market is expected to fall further. Builders in Bangalore find it difficult to selloff the apartments these days and are incurring huge losses. Therefore they are reducing the prices to draw customers and yet finding it difficult due to over supply.

These Property prices fall is not only in Bangalore, but across all over major cities in India. I saw this unconfirmed news in a website last week which says “No takers for three apartments auctioned by Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority”

Finally,
Rate of interest at all time high…
Over supply of Apartments…
Recession in US…
Stock market great fall…
still its not right time to buy/invest in Bangalore properties at current levels, the prices is expected to fall further, hold on or think before you buy a property. Don’t fall for the word “It is the best time to buy a property in Bangalore”

Vijay and Nayanthara as brand ambassador for Chennai Super Kings

Chennai: India Cements, which has bought the rights for the Chennai team of the Indian Premier League (IPL), plans to operate on a revenue model involving advertisements on players' helmets, sponsorship for T-shirts, gate collections, and revenue sharing agreements with BCCI and television rights holder Sony.
The company on Tuesday announced that it has signed up Tamil actors Vijay and Nayanthara as brand ambassadors for the team - Chennai Super Kings.
India Cements executive president T S Raghupathy and former cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth were present on the occasion.
Vijay and Nayanthara will endorse Chennai Super Kings, appear on hoardings and IPL television ads, and also turn up at all team matches to cheer captain M S Dhoni and his team. The first match is likely to be held on April 23 in Chennai followed by one each in Mohali, Kolkata and Mumbai. Chennai Super Kings' logo is that of a roaring lion with the tagline: Fearless entertainers who will play to win.
Source: Business Standard

The most beautiful smile

I have got this video as fwd mail from one of my friends. Really this is one of the beautiful smiles I have seen. I am just posting this to make your day cheerful... Here is "The most beautiful smile"... Have a great day...

Mission Safer India

While I was browsing internet, I have come across a website called http://www.saferindia.com/. This web site is started and directly administered by Dr. Kiran Bedi. This is an wonderful effort to strengthen police service in India. You can go ahead and log your complaint regarding any crime in your place (especially when your area police is ignoring your complain). I think this is very much useful site not only for Indians and also to the foreigners who are touring to India.
Remember this is not a investigation agency.
Once you log a complaint it will be sent to your area DGP. You may also use this “complaint mail” as the legal document in case of filing a case in the court of judgment.
Please spread this to your friends...

Coping with interviews

Coping with interviews
by David Denny

Practice makes perfect. Get what it takes to interview with confidence.

Introduction
After coming through all the hurdles of the SELECTION PROCESS, you will eventually arrive at an interview. This is of course, a major obstacle for many job applicants. Although they may have the qualifications, experience and a proven track record, they may lose out to a candidate who 'interviews better.'

So what does 'interviewing better' actually mean? It comes down to the candidate being well-prepared and confident. A candidate who can answer questions in a way which is acceptable (but not necessarily right) to the interviewer, someone who knows something about their potential employer's business and the post they hope to fill. These are really the basic components of any candidate who 'interviews well'. There are undoubtedly other aspects employers may look for in relation to specific posts - having their own ideas, articulate, thinking on their feet, aspects which will be related to the job and to the company's preference in employees.

The employer will also be looking to fill a post, which has a particular job specification - in other words personal aspects besides the experience, and qualifications that can be put down on paper. The interviewer will set out to ascertain that the candidate has these personal qualities, skills and abilities the company requires.

Preparation and confidence
These two essential ingredients are interlinked. Good preparation instills confidence.

The basic approach to an interview is to be well-prepared. This means two things - preparing yourself practically for the interview, and gathering knowledge and information you can draw on during the interview.

• Be sure you know the time, date and location of the interview and name of interviewee where appropriate.
• Check out how you will get to the location, and when you need to set off to be there in good time - do a dummy run if necessary. Plan to get there no earlier than half an hour before the interview time, anticipate delays.
• Have what you are going to wear ready in advance - everything down to your underwear.
• Do not go to the interview laden down with baggage - psychological as well as physical. Take the bare minimum of belongings necessary. Concentrate on the interview at the interview - nothing else.
• If you are asked to bring certificates, references etc, get them ready before the day. Take your interview letter.
• On arrival ensure the receptionist knows you are there, visit the toilets to tidy up etc.

If you are well-organized and have planned for the day your confidence will increase.

Preparing to meet the employer
The interview is a chance for you and the employer to get to know one another. It is NOT the time to get to know about the post or the employer's business.

Do gather information about your employer before you are interviewed - what do they do, what are their current projects, what other interests do they have? Ask staff - many companies will offer you the chance to talk about the vacancy with someone, use the opportunity to find out more about the company.

Bigger companies will have PR departments, smaller ones will provide you with some information - libraries can provide information on local business and keep directories of national business. Use the Internet - many companies have a presence here now.

Make sure you know what the job entails - get a job description, ask someone in a similar post; ring the company to clarify if unsure.

Don't forget you
Remember the employer is interested in you as a person, your experiences and your opinions (in most cases). Do take the time to sit down and think about you, who you are and what you've achieved. It can be highly embarrassing to know more about the employer than yourself.

Sit down with your CV and make notes about your work record, what you've achieved. Look at yourself as a person in employment - how do you see your self, what have you done, what ambitions do you have. Make notes and prepare and rehearse sound bites about yourself. Remember that one of the most common interview questions is 'Tell me about yourself'. Prepare a sound bite for this in particular, but not a life history. Usually interviewers want to know about personal qualities, not achievements - though examples can be included to support your statement.

Answering interview questions
Interviews vary tremendously, from very informal to formal. However, some questions can be anticipated, as can the subject matter. If you are well-prepared, then the majority of problem questions should not arise. You will know about the company, you will know about yourself and you will a have a good idea of the demands of the job - these questions will not be a problem to the well-prepared interviewee.

A few general rules:

• Speak up when answering questions.
• Answer briefly, but try to avoid yes or no answers.
• Don't worry about pausing before you answer, it shows you can think and are not spitting out the sound bites you learned!
• Don't worry about admitting you don't know - but keep this to a bare minimum.
• Don't embellish answers or lie! Be as honest as possible.
• Be prepared for hypothetical situation questions, take your time on these.
• Be prepared for the unexpected question, that's designed to see how you cope with the unexpected.
• If you ask questions, keep them brief during the interview, remember you're the interviewee. At the end of the interview, ask your questions in an open manner, that is, questions which cannot be answered with yes or no. E.g. tell me about....? what is....? why.....?

Thank the interviewers for their time when you leave, and smile, even if you now hate them.

Questions for the interviewer
There is always the opportunity to ask them questions at the end of the interview - remember the interview is a two-way process, you need to be sure you want to join them too!

Try to concentrate on issues which are important to you and combine as an apparent interest in the company. Leave issues like terms and conditions until the very last, even though they may feel like the most important to you. Write your questions down prior to the interview and take them with you.

Good topics to touch on include:

• the competitive environment in which the organisation operates
• executive management styles
• what obstacles the organisation anticipates in meeting its goals
• how the organisation's goals have changed over the past three to five years.

Generally, it is most unwise to ask about pay or benefits or other similar areas. The reason is that it tends to make you seem more interested in what the organisation can do for you. It is also not a good idea to simply have no questions at all. Doing so makes you appear passive rather than curious and interested.

Suggested questions:

1. What are the main objectives and responsibilities of the position?
2. How does the company expect these objectives to be met?
3. What obstacles are commonly encountered in reaching these objectives?
4. What is the desired time frame for reaching the objectives?
5. What resources are available from the company and what must be found elsewhere to reach the objectives?

Presentation and body language
Wear what is appropriate for the post and the company. It may vary from smart, formal wear in some instances to very formal dress in others. Try and get an insight into what the company would expect from employees or gauge this through observation. What would be appropriate for a building company is very different to a public relations agency.

Be well groomed and clean. Try to look calm and confident, simple things like deodorant can boost your confidence.

Once you are ushered into the interview room there will usually be a short exchange of pleasantries and ice breaking. Don't be fooled by this time - it really is designed to put you at ease in most circumstances, but these initial moments are the most formative - don't go over the top being exceptionally friendly, or alternatively going rigid with fear thinking that your handshake was too limp! A pleasant natural smile, a firm handshake and a brief exchange of words in a natural manner is sufficient.

• Sit comfortably with both feet on the floor, lean slightly towards the interviewer.
• Don't play with your hair or you hands. Keep them out of pockets!
• Try not to create defensive barriers between you and them, like a brief case on your knees, folded arms or crossed legs....even if you feel you need to. It's natural, but your interviewer will not physically attack!
• Maintain natural eye contact with the interviewer - that is maintain eye contact, but don't stare like a snake!
• If there's more than one interviewer, look at who's talking.
• When you're talking, shift your glance from one to the other.
• Don't over-use your hands, if you are a natural gesticulator.
• Don't squirm and fidget.
• Do nod and Mmm, to show you're listening to them.
• Above all try to be you, unless you're naturally offensive!

Obeying these rules, will allow the interviewers to concentrate on you and not what you're doing in the interview. Body language conveys all sorts of messages, and the right body language will convey the message of a well-balanced and confident individual...............even if you're not!

Top CV Mistakes to Avoid

Make sure your CV is your springboard to the next stage of the job search. Here are some key CV mistakes to avoid.

Your CV is often the first impression a hiring manager has of you and more often than not you will only have a few seconds to grab his/her attention and leave him/her wanting to read more and invite you in for an interview. It is essential that you get this vital piece of communication right and use it as a springboard to the next stage of the job search. The following are some common CV mistakes to avoid at all costs.

1. Insufficient Contact Details
Make sure your CV clearly details your full name, address and contact details for a prospective employer to reach you including phone numbers and email address. This may sound obvious but remarkably, a few candidates will send their CV out omitting key contact information or with outdated contact details. If your email address reads particularly unprofessionally (eg hotbabe) or is a work email address it may be well worth while changing it for a different one to utilize for correspondence with employers.

2. No Objective
Every CV should begin with a clear and concise objective citing the position you are seeking and a supporting short skills statement summarizing the reason you are highly qualified for this role; e.g. "Seeking a senior marketing analyst role where I can apply my 3 years experience in marketing analysis gained with a leading Fortune 500 FMCG company as well as my skills in copywriting, strategic analysis, business development, client servicing and media planning." Remember, the goal of the CV is to outline what you can do for your prospective employer not what your employer can do for you.

3. Passive Language
Remember to use active verbs that show leadership and accomplishments rather than weak passive words. Words like achieved, spearheaded, managed, exceeded, pioneered, led, created, developed and motivated convey an active, dynamic successful professional. Substitute all weak descriptive sentences for sentences that detail accomplishments in no uncertain terms eg instead of "Managed the firm's emerging markets equity portfolio" try "Managed and achieved a 34% annualized return on the firm's flagship USD200 million emerging markets equity portfolio."

4. Writing in the first person
Do not start sentences with the word 'I' or use the personal pronoun in your job descriptions. Keep your sentences short and dynamic and begin them wherever possible with strong action words.

5. Lack of Focus
Every CV should be focused on the particular job and industry you are targeting. If you are applying to jobs in 2 different industries make sure you have different CVs that cater specifically to the different skills required in each industry. The best CVs are customized for the individual job at hand and emphasize objectives, skillsets, past accomplishments, aptitudes and qualifications that are uniquely relevant to that role. Generic, unfocused CVs rarely make the mark.

6. Poor Formatting
Your CV will get no more than a cursory glance if the formatting is poor and it shows bad planning, poor organization or clutter. Makes sure you adhere to an acceptable format that is professional, simple and attractive to the eye. Use bullet points wherever possible rather than long, winding prose and be consistent with font, headings, spaces and layout. Avoid the coloured paper, illustrations and glitzy touches - if you are applying for a creative position show your creativity in your portfolio not by jazzing up your CV. Aim to send your CV on high quality paper (if not on-line) and make sure it is no longer than 1 page if you are entry level and a maximum of 2 pages if you are a seasoned professional.

7. No Proofreading
Spelling mistakes, poor grammar and glaring errors are a surefire way to get your CV dismissed and stop the job search process in its tracks. Read and reread your CV before sending it to the employer, run a spellcheck and have some-one else read it for an extra check before sending it out.

8. Omission of Key Facts
Educational qualifications and professional experience must be included in your CV with proper dates, titles, institution names and descriptions. Use plenty of keywords in describing your role and accomplishments in each job as well as in the Skills section - these will often be the hook that makes the difference between your CV being considered or overlooked, particularly with an online employer CV search. If you are unsure what keywords to use, read the job description thoroughly, read detailed job descriptions for similar jobs with other companies and ask peers in the industry what skills/qualificatio ns are particularly relevant for this role.

9. Lies
Lies and half-truths will be discovered sooner or later and you are better off omitting them from the start. If you have not finished a university degree make that clear on your CV without neglecting to include the coursework you did complete and the educational accomplishments you do have. Similarly do not list promotions, jobs, titles, dates or job descriptions that do not accurately reflect your work history. Most companies run very detailed background checks and lies and exaggerations that are not glaringly obvious on the CV or at the interview will often be discovered at the reference or background check.

10. Poor Targeting
Make sure you send your CV to the right person at the company and accompany it with a short, concise cover letter that personalizes it and summarizes your skills, objectives and the value you will bring to the job. Spend some time researching who heads the division you are targeting and what the most relevant skills are to target in your correspondence and send your introductory CV and cover letter directly to them. Your CV is more likely than not to be disregarded completely if you send it to the wrong person or to a nameless "To whom it may concern".

Income tax calculation as per "Budget 08"

Budget provides a savings of Rs.44,000 for individuals having taxable income of Rs.5Lacs and above
Existing Slab	Amount	Tax Rate	Tax amount	Proposed Slab	Amount	Tax Rate	Tax amount
1.1 Lacs to 1.5 Lacs	40000	10%	4000	Til 1.5 Lacs		Nil	0.00
1.5 Lacs to 2.5 Lacs	100000	20%	20000	1.5 Lacs to 2.5 Lacs	10%	100000	10000.00
2.5 Lacs to 3Lacs	50000	30%	15000	2.5 Lacs to 3 Lacs	10%	50000	5000.00
3Lacs to 5 Lacs	200000	30%	60000	3 Lacs to 5 Lacs	20%	200000	40000.00
5 Lacs and above		30%		5 Lacs and above	30%
Total Tax Payable			99000				55000.00
Savings							44000.00
Women Assessee
1.40 Lacs to 1.5 Lacs	10000	10%	1000				0.00
1.5 Lacs to 1.8 Lacs	30000	20%	6000	Till 1.8 Lacs		Nil	0.00
1.8 Lacs to 2.5 Lacs	70000	20%	14000	1.8 Lacs to 2.5 Lacs	10%	70000	7000.00
2.5 Lacs to 3Lacs	50000	30%	15000	2.5 Lacs to 3 Lacs	10%	50000	5000.00
3Lacs to 5 Lacs	200000	30%	60000	3 Lacs to 5 Lacs	20%	200000	40000.00
5 Lacs and above		30%		5 Lacs and above	30%
Total Tax Payable			96000				52000.00
Savings							44000.00