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Xcel Energy Minnesota Windfarm Moves Forward, Creating About 150 Construction Jobs, an Industrial Info News Alert

April 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

SUGAR LAND, TX, Apr 05 (MARKET WIRE) —
Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) –
A new 201-megawatt (MW) windfarm being built for Xcel Energy (NYSE:XEL)
(Minneapolis, Minnesota) is moving forward, creating an estimated 150
jobs, now that the utility has signed a power purchase agreement with
enXco, a renewable energy developer that is part of French electricity
firm EDF Energies Nouvelles SA (EPA: EEN) (Paris).

For details, view the entire article by subscribing to Industrial Info’s
Premium Industry News at
http://www.industrialinfo.com/showNews.jsp?newsitemID=158210, or browse
other breaking industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market
intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing
and energy markets. IIR’s quality-assurance philosophy, the Living
Forward Reporting Principle(TM), provides up-to-the-minute intelligence
on what’s happening now, while constantly keeping track of future
opportunities. For more information send inquiries to
powergroup@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at
www.industrialinfo.com.

Contact:
Joe Govreau
713-783-5147

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: future, minneapolis, minnesota, philosophy, resources

A Return Rate of 7000% — A Miracle Made by Chinese Online Game Companies

April 3, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

BEIJING–(Business Wire)–
7000% may be a dream return rate for every investor but it did happen, right in
China`s game industry: in 2003 Softbank invested in Shanda and was rewarded with
a return rate as high as 1400%; in September 2006, Softbank SAIF made an
investment of $ 8 million in Perfect World, and within a year was paid back with
70 times of what they poured in a year ago. With the IPO of Perfect World in
July 2007, the shares they bought were then valued as $ 560 million. Thereafter,
many investors hold that with a good eye and perhaps a bit of luck, it is not
impossible to reap up a return of dozens even hundreds of times of return in
China`s online game market.

Chinese’ passion for start-ups brings up many companies with great potential

The Chinese may be one of the most passionate about start-ups. This is
especially the truth when it comes to online games, an industry which has an
abundance of opportunities. Many, for example Shang Jin (Qilin Games) and Wang
Feng (Linekong), chose start-up as a way for self-fulfillment after their
initial success or acquisition of certain resources. Shang and Wang, as well as
many others blessed with capital or resources, founded businesses that prove to
be of great potential for investors.

According to “Report on China`s Game Industry 2009″, there are approximately 750
game development companies in China; in 2009, China boosted a revenue from
online games amounting to $40 billion, 39.4% higher than 2008; those games
developed by the Chinese record a revenue of $2.4 billion, or 64.5% of the
total, and a 50.1% increase compared with the previous year. In the same year,
64 “made-in-China” online games developed by 29 Chinese companies were sold to
over 40 countries and districts around the globe, with revenue of $109 million,
up 53.9% compared with 2008. Moreover, during the same period of time, mobile
game sales reached $100 million, a 25% increase. The number of online game
players grew to 65.87 million, with an increase of 33.46% while the number of
those paid players reached 37.15 million, an increase of 22.1%.

These statistics indicate that there are already a number of game enterprises in
China, which boosts the largest population of game players but few of them are
listed companies. This is due to, on the one hand, the absence of appropriate
listing mechanism for them, and on the other hand, the lack of knowledge for
investment and financing by the company owners and executives. As it is
commented by Victor Huang, Vice President of China Renaissance, now there should
be timely and effective communication between the capital market and digital
entertainment market, through which the two sides will better know one another
and in turn, to seek more opportunities for cooperation.

As revealed by Mr. Hugo Shong, founding partner of IDG Capital Partners, in the
CGBC Summit Forum in 2009, games developed by the Chinese saw an increase in
their sales of over 60% that year. In fact, Chinese online game companies are
becoming more and more valuable for investors with the introduction of Start-up
Board in China and the increase of exits for the industry.

With proper funding and guidance from investing and financing organizations,
these online game companies are able to see how far they can go, which in terms
of economics of course is what return rate they can achieve–7000% is by no
means a fairy tale. Actually, this fast growing industry has already attracted
funding from many enterprises dealing with production and manufacturing, for
example, businessmen from Zhejiang invested in Shendiao Online and Delixi funded
in Uqu. They are clear proof that online game industry is to become the next
“star” in investment.

CGBC I&F Forum, a fast track for talks between capital and enterprises

China Game Business Conference (CGBC), which is held along with ChinaJoy, has
held “Investment and Funding Forum” for the past four years and this year it
will continue to be an important part of the conference. For 2010, CGBC, in
partnership with China Renaissance Capital Partners which has been awarded “New
Investment Bank of the Year” for four consecutive years, will send its
invitation to investors across the globe to find their opportunities in CGBC.

Every year, hundreds of medium and small sized game companies (with employees of
fewer than 150) come together at ChinaJoy. These three conferences, ChinaJoy,
CGBC and CGDC, are not only a festival to celebrate their success, but also a
market for them to seek business opportunities: they show themselves, talk with
investors and look for the right one who would believe in their potential and
pour in money. It is through this capitalization that they will find the fast
track to success. Any of them may have the chance, with such support, to
flourish, to get listed in a few years and become the next legend to tell about
online game investment.

No wonder someone joked that deals worth millions of dollars may be born just
like that, right in the cafe outside ChinaJoy/CGBC/CGDC.

For more information, please visit http://www.chinagbc.com.cn

Subject solicitation (with prizes)—–

http://www.chinagbc.com.cn/YiTiZhengJiList.aspx

About CGBC

China Game Business Conference (CGBC) is the largest and most distinguished
business event in China’s game industry and its related industries. It is held
in late July annually at Shanghai International Conference Center simultaneously
with ChinaJoy. Through seven years’ rapid and sustainable development with
China’s game industry and its related industries, CGBC has become an optimal
platform for discussions, education, exchanges and networking centering on the
development of China’s game industry. The forthcoming CGBC 2010 will continue to
expand its scale and scope to include the Summit Forum, the SNS & Social Game
Forum, the Investment & Financing Forum, the Media Marketing Forum, the
International Cooperation Forum, the Webgame Forum, the In-game Advertising
Forum, the Mobile Internet Entertainment Forum, the Serious Game Forum.

http://en.chinagbc.com.cn/

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:

http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6236643〈=en

Howell International
For speaker and sponsor inquiries, please contact:
Mr. Joe Liu
Tel: +86-10-51659355 ext. 13
Fax: +86-10-87732633
E-mail: joe_liu@howellexpo.com
or
For coupon inquiries, please contact:
Ms. Phoebe Liu
Tel: +86-10-51659355 ext. 32
Fax: +86-10-87732633
E-mail: phoebe_liu@howellexpo.com

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Beijing Business, boosts, Chinese Companies, ENTERPRISES, Game Companies, Game Development Companies, Game Industry, Game Market, Game Sales, Good Eye, great potential, Initial Success, investors, Online Game, Perfect World, Qilin, resources, Saif, Self Fulfillment, Shanda, Softbank, Start Ups, ups, Wang Feng

IHRD ~ IHRD Exam Result 2009 ~ IHRD Kerala Engineering Lecturer Result 2009 ~ Institute of Human Resources Development ~ IHRD Kerala Engineering Lecturer Result

July 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

IHRD ~ IHRD Exam Result 2009 ~ IHRD Kerala Engineering Lecturer Result 2009 ~ Institute of Human Resources Development ~ IHRD Kerala Engineering Lecturer Result

Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD) Board of engineering lecturer Education, Kerala publishes recruitment results of engineering lecturer for EC, CS, IT, EE & BE departments Result 2009 on July 10, 2009.

Kerala publishes recruitment results of engineering lecturer 2009.

The Link for Results :

http://www.ihrd.ac.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114&Itemid=28

All The Best !!!

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Canada’s jobless rate jumps to 8.6 percent

July 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Toronto, July 11 (IANS) The unemployment rate in Canada, the most robust of all G8 economies during the current global crisis, has jumped to 8.6 percent, a national report here has said.
Releasing the report Friday, Statistics Canada said 47,500 jobs were lost in June in this nation of about 33 million people.

Nearly 1.6 million Canadians are now out of jobs as the nation’s major sectors – manufacturing, natural resources and auto – continue to reel from the impact of the global recession.

But the Canadian economy fared much better in the second quarter of this year than in the first quarter, the report said.

Just 13,000 jobs were lost in the second quarter as compared to 273,000 lost in the first quarter.

The shrinking job market is forcing Canadians to self-employment. Since October, self-employment has grown by 1.5 percent nationwide, the report said.

With more than 85 percent of its international trade with the US, the short-term prospects look bleak for the Canadian economy driven by manufacturing and its natural resources.

Since the economic crisis began last year, the Canadian economy has shrunk by more than three percent.

The national Bank of Canada has lowered interest rates to historic lows and pumped billions of dollars to ease the liquidity crunch.

But the otherwise healthy Canadian banks seem to be in no mood to take any risks.

The Canadian markets, driven mostly by energy, mineral and financial stocks, remain in the doldrums despite a two-month surge from March to May.

The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), the world’s biggest energy market where the composite index had crossed the historic 15,000-mark last year, remains sluggish.

Having sunk as low as 7,700-points, the index recovered nearly 40 percent from March to May. But since then, the index has been hovering between 9,500 and 10,000 points.

The low oil prices have also hit the Canadian dollar or loonie which is known as the commodity currency because its fortunes vary with the global prices of Canada’s rich natural resources.

Currently, the loonie is selling for about 85 cents US.

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France to help India set up IIT

February 23, 2009 By Dinesh Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Feb 23 (PTI) France today said it would help India set up a new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) that is likely to come up at Rajasthan’s Jaipur. “We had talks in this regard with the Human Resources and Development Ministry, and we are on the verge of signing final agreement,” Jacques Valade, French Ambassador in charge of decentralised co-operation in Asia, said here.

Major French companies, including EADS (Airbus manufacturer), would be involved in the project, he said, but, did not reveal whether the French government and companies would be funding the new IIT. “Terms of cooperation are not yet finalised.” The new IIT will focus on four areas: Energy, New Technologies, Aeronautics and Design.

The new institute is likely to come up at Jaipur, but the Indian government will take the final call on the matter, he said. France would also organise a cultural festival, ‘Bonjour India’ (Good Morning India) in December 2009-January 2010, Valade said.

PTI.

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Police on alert over increasing Maoist activities

February 22, 2009 By Dinesh Leave a Comment

A rise in Maoist activities in the Terai region is giving sleepless nights to Uttarakhand Police. A source said several Maoist frontal organisations – the number could be more than 20 — were actively indoctrinating their ideologies among the people in the state.

Progressive Students Front, Uttarakhand Kisan Sangathan, Uttarakhand Mazdoor Sangathan, Karlos, IMKE, Pachas, RWS and Ulva are said to be the main frontal organisations. They are mainly active in the Kumaon region of the state.

Udham Singh Nagar, Champwat and Pithoragarh districts of the region are said to be most prone to their activities. Due to this, Maoists have succeeded in establishing a strong hold in 36 police stations of these districts.

Sources said they are in close contact with their counterparts in Bihar and Jharkhand and are ready to enter the guerrilla stage. They might target places of strategic importance like police stations, police posts and banks in the state to generate resources.

State police have started strengthening the police stations and posts in affected areas. “Special training has been given to the policemen of affected areas.

Other than this, every police station has been equipped with high-rise towers to keep vigil on surrounding areas,” said Ashok Kumar, IG Kumaon Range. The state police department has also constituted a special operational task force (SOTF) for this purpose.

They have been trained in association with Andhra Pradesh’s Greyhound Force, which is known as the most efficient force in India, to deal with Maoists.
HT

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Venezuelan opposition warns Chavez his victory was “no landslide”

February 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Caracas – Venezuela’s opposition leaders on Monday warned President Hugo Chavez that the referendum victory that removed term limits on his re-election “was no landslide,” and he would need to seek greater consensus to remain in power.

Opposition leaders noted that 6 million Venezuelans, or 54 per cent of voters, favoured a proposal that allows the president unlimited re-election bids, while 5 million (46 per cent) voted against it and 32 per cent of those registered to cast their ballot, abstained.

Luis Ignacio Planas, leader of the conservative party Copei, said the opposition could be happy with the fact that 5 million Venezuelans ignored the government “blackmail.”

“We will keep growing. We have been conquering the hearts of a growing number of Venezuelans,” Planas said at a press conference.

He said Chavez failed to attain the 7-million-vote ceiling he had reached when he was re-elected for the presidency in 2006.

“(Chavez’s) was a Pyrrhic victory, his victory over democratic forces was no landslide. Let us hope he will draw a good lesson from these results because almost half the country said no to the re- election project. The government has to understand that it is a government for all Venezuelans, not for a portion of them,” Planas said.

Ismael Garcia, secretary general of the centre-left party Podemos, which once supported Chavez, said the opposition has to be ready for “many battles” in a very polarized setting.

“Here it’s not just a matter of demonstrating, or of criticizing, but of making proposals and giving alternative ideas to what is happening, and of turning out to vote in massive numbers,” he said.

He claimed that “rules and procedures were violated” in Sunday’s vote and that the government followed a “fraudulent path.”

Caracas Metropolitan Mayor Antonio Ledezma noted that the government should now set aside its political agenda to focus on the “social agenda” that would solve the country’s problems.

The Un Nuevo Tiempo party said it would file a formal complaint before electoral authorities against the way the government used the resources of the state to campaign in favour of its proposal, which according to UNT and to many observers led to a heavily imbalanced election. (dpa)

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Gaddafi defends Somalian pirates – newspaper report

February 8, 2009 By Dinesh Leave a Comment

Nairobi – Libyan leader and new head of the African Union, Moammer Gaddafi, has defended the actions of Somalian pirates as an act of self-defence against “greedy” Western nations, the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation reported Friday.

The paper, reporting on Gaddafi’s courtesy call on AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, quoted him as saying: “It is not piracy, it is self defence. It is defending the Somalian children’s food.

“It is a response to greedy Western nations, who invade and exploit Somalias water resources illegally,” the Libyan strongman added about the pirates who have been capering merchant ships and releasing them and their crews for ransom.

His comments came as meanwhile the Ukrainian merchent vessel Faina with 31 military tanks was released after four months. Somalian pirates are currently holding about a dozen ships. (dpa)

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Former BHP boss Goodyear to lead Singapore Temasek

February 8, 2009 By Dinesh Leave a Comment

Singapore – Ho Ching, the chief executive officer of Singapore’s state investment company Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd, will step down and be replaced by Charles W Goodyear, the former boss of the global resources company BHP Billiton, Temasek announced Friday.

Goodyear, a 51 year old US-citizen, was to succeed Ho on October 1, 2009, the company said. He already joined the Temasek board and will assume the position of CEO-designate on March 1.

Ho, the wife of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has been CEO of Temasek since January 2004.

The company did not give any reason for her departure. The Board, including Ho, had been addressing succession planning annually since early 2005, Temasek Holdings said in a statement.

Temasek Holdings holds and manages a diversified portfolio worth 185 billion Singapore dollars (123 billion US dollars). (dpa)

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Hong Kong schoolboy, 12, offers himself as gigolo on internet

February 2, 2009 By Dinesh 1 Comment

Hong Kong – Police in Hong Kong on Monday were investigating a 12-year-old schoolboy who posted naked pictures of himself online and offered himself as a gigolo for women as old as 45.

The boy gave himself the nickname Little Leung and offered sexual services to “females between the ages of 10 and 45″ on an adult friendship forum, the Hong Kong Standard reported.

His bizarre advertisement, which included a photograph of his private parts, described him as a Christian and offered to “make love” to girls and women for 450 Hong Kong dollars (58 US dollars).

Outraged internet users published the boy’s personal details online and threatened to report him to the secondary school where he is a first-year pupil.

The schoolboy’s identity was revealed by a process known in China as “human search engine,” in which internet users pool resources and information to track a person down.

After he was unmasked, the boy on Saturday posted an online appeal to his principal and teachers not to expel him from school, the Standard said.

Police said they were investigating the case but said no arrests or charges had been made. Soliciting for an immoral purpose carries a maximum six-month jail sentence in Hong Kong for adult offenders. (dpa)

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Google Shuts down its print Ads program for newspapers

January 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Saying that it is yielding enough money, and it’s aimed to cut costs, Google Inc, on Tuesday, announced that it is ceasing its two-year-old service to sell newspaper advertising, and thus gave a big blow to its own efforts to extend its ad program beyond web.

On its blog on Tuesday, the company stated that on Feb. 28 it will shut down its Print Ads program. Launched in November 2006, the program was fabricated to help newspapers make money by attracting Google advertisers to expand into print newspaper sales. About 800 U. S. newspapers were part of the program.

On the company’s decision, Spencer Spinnell, director of Google Print Ads, wrote, the program “has not created the impact that we — or our partners — wanted. As a result, we will stop offering Print Ads on February 28.” However, Spinnell clarified that the company will let the advertisers with campaigns already booked to have their ads placed through March 31.

“It is important that we focus on products that can benefit the most people and solve the most important problems. By moving resources away from projects that aren’t having the impact we want, we can refocus our efforts on those that will delight millions of users,” Spinnell wrote.

Google spokesman Brandon McCormick said, “We weren’t providing a meaningful revenue impact to our newspaper partners so we are focusing our efforts on how we can do that quickly and effectively using online tools.”

Closure of the print Ad program is a rare failure of Google, who is deemed as the bigwig of the online advertising business.

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Japan’s Brazilians demand job security as exports slow

January 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Tokyo – Demanding better job and housing security, a demonstration by 300 Brazilians and their supporters in Tokyo Sunday is just the latest sign of the impact that the global economic slowdown is having on Japan’s Brazilian-based workforce.

Waving their national flags across the busy streets of central Tokyo, the demonstrators called out, “Give us a chance of employment,” “Stop abandoning us” and “We don’t have secured housing.”

Many temporary Brazilian workers have lost jobs recently, primarily in the car and electronics industries, as Japanese exports have slumped due to the sluggish economy and the Japanese yen’s gains against other currencies. Others have been informed of planned layoffs in the spring.

Dosantos Marcos, one of the protesters, told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa he was told to stay at home, since production is slow at the car parts plant where he worked for seven years. The 42-year- old Brazilian has not worked for two months.

Since September last year, when exporters began reducing production, planes to Brazil have been fully booked, according to Hidekichi Hashimoto, the third-generation Japanese-Brazilian President of the non-profit organization ABC Japan.

“For Japanese companies, we are the easiest to cut because most of us don’t speak Japanese and they think that we have no intention of staying long,” Hashimoto said.

But about 80,000 of the 320,000 Brazilians living in Japan have acquired the residency visa necessary to stay permanently, he said.

Takaharu Hayashi, director of Koryunet, a Brazilian-Japanese networking association in the Aichi prefecture, has received numerous calls from Brazilians working at auto factories. Toyota Motor Corp, also headquartered in Aichi prefecture, plans to cut 3,000 non- regular workers.

“Japanese companies are saying they can’t help it when Japanese are also having difficulties keeping their jobs,” Hayashi said. “There is a mentality that Japanese business owners are trying to push Brazilians to the lowest strata because they are less visible.”

As of December last year, more than 85,000 Japanese temporary workers were set to lose their jobs by the end of March.

During the New Year holiday, some 300 unemployed Japanese temporary workers gathered at a park in Tokyo to receive free lodging and food. Most were able to receive government welfare subsidies and find apartments in a week and began job search.

But Hayashi said Brazilians who have not established the necessary relations within Japanese society to help them find resources to tackle their hardships.

“They don’t have the safety net that Japanese workers do,” Hayashi said. “The gravity of a layoff is weighed much heavier on Brazilians because the government has no system to rescue them from the troubles and their options are much more limited than the Japanese.” dpa

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Subdued Detroit auto show reflects economic realities

January 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Detroit – US carmakers have to walk a very fine line at this year’s Detroit auto show, keenly aware of the economic realities that hovered over what is usually a glittering affair.

After pleaded with the US Congress for emergency loans to stay alive, US manufacturers are being careful to avoid the kinds of expensive-looking exhibits that could smack of hypocrisy – and a waste of taxpayer money.

But with car sales plunging by more than 35 per cent from October to December, carmakers still need this month’s automotive show to generate fresh excitement for their suffering product lines. The show opens to the public on Saturday and runs until January 25.

Detroit’s delicate balancing act, during the three-day media preview this week, led to a more business-like event that focused on the cars themselves, rather than the pomp and ceremony that usually accompanies them.

“A lot of (carmakers) have taken away the frivolity that might have been there in the past,” said Jay Ward, a spokesman for Ford Motor Co. “This year, we’ve gone back to basics.”

Gone was General Motors Corp’s fashion show, which in past years was used to role out their new product line. Chrysler LLC backed away from taking over a bar opposite Detroit’s Cobo Centre, where journalists once enjoyed free snacks and beer after reviewing the show.

The show’s sober attitude was “keeping with the tone of the times,” GM chief executive Rick Wagoner told reporters, adding that GM saved 10 million dollars on its stand in the process.

“People almost uniformly have tasteful exhibits, but it looks less elaborate than what we’ve seen in recent years, and I think it’s the right thing to do under the circumstances,” Wagoner said.

Ten million dollars in savings is a pittance compared to GM’s and Chrysler’s 17.4-billion-dollar bail-out by the federal government last month.

But the toned-down event is as much about what the public and media expect as it is about the industry’s economic realities.

“There’s an element of perception as being very important in all of this,” said Ward.

As an example, Ward points to the lack of food and drink stands for journalists wandering the exhibits this year. Hardly a costly thing to offer, but had they done so the media “might have written ‘Is this Ford squandering their hard-earned resources?’”

While the pressure was mostly on domestic carmakers, foreign competitors were aware that they, too, could provoke a public backlash if they spent lavishly on frivolity during a global economic meltdown.

Foreign manufacturers have suffered sharp drops in US sales, too. Most even supported the federal bail-out of GM and Chrysler, fearful that their collapse would threaten the parts suppliers and dealers that all carmakers rely on.

Honda Motor Co passed up the opportunity to hold a press conference in addition to their stand, even though the Japanese carmaker was unveiling a highly anticipated new model, the Honda Insight, a hybrid car it hopes will compete with Toyota Motor Corp’s best-selling Prius.

Honda spokeswoman Christina Ra said that all carmakers were being careful to stick to business this year, rather than provide entertainment.

“We’re not immune to what’s going on,” Ra said. (dpa)

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Most and least stressful jobs revealed

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta 2 Comments

Toronto, Jan 9 (ANI): Police officers, fire-fighters and family or general practice physician have been ranked among occupations with the highest levels of work-life conflict while taxi drivers, insurance adjusters and bank tellers are among those with the least, a new study has revealed.

The study found that the people who have to interact a lot with others in their jobs, they experience a lot of stress when trying to juggle work and family.

“High levels of interaction at work may lead to increased fatigue and depletion of personal resources needed to fulfill family role obligations,” Globeandmail.com quoted the study author Erich Dierdorff, assistant professor of management at DePaul University, as saying.

For the study, researchers examined people in 126 occupations and found that police officers, fire-fighters and family or general practice physicians were ranked among occupations with the highest levels of work-life conflict while taxi drivers, insurance adjusters and bank tellers are among those with the least.

The findings remained consistent “even after controlling for other factors known to create conflict, including demographics, schedule flexibility, time pressure, workload and support offered by co-workers.”

Dierdorff found that social interaction is one stress factor, but another is whether a person faces increased responsibility for the work quality, health and safety of co-workers.

He suggested that employers use the study”s results to tailor new employee training and support services “to address work-life stress generated by the nature of work roles.”

The study appears in the Journal of Applied Psychology. (ANI)

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Incentives for overseas Indians to invest in India

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Chennai, Jan 9 (ANI): Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia today said that the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas provides a platform to the overseas Indians to explore opportunities for investment in India.

Speaking in a plenary session of the diaspora interaction with the states in Chennai today, he said that during the 11th Plan, the Union Government has fixed priority in the fields of Rural Development Infrastructure Health and Urbanisation.

He also urged the Chief Ministers of States to share water resources amicably as this would enhance the development of the country.

The State Governments have been given concessions in implementing the development projects and also are encouraged to opt for World Bank assistance in infrastructure and rural development.

During the session, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Vayalar Ravi said that Global Indian knowledge network would serve as a knowledge bank for the vast network of people of Indian origin who can get their specific questions answered with the help of professionals all around the world.

In this session, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi, Lt. Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Lt. Gen (Retd.) Bhopinder Singh, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi, Minister for Power and Parliamentary Affairs of Haryana Randeep Surjewala, Minister of Industries of Kerala Elamaram Kareem and Minister for Industry of Punjab Shri Manoranjan Kalia addressed the participants and called for NRI investment in their respective states.

They also listed the incentives offered to attract investments in various sectors. (ANI)

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A good night”s sleep protects against parasite infestation

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 9 (ANI): Researchers from Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany have found that animals that sleep longer do not suffer from parasite infestation.

They hope that the research may have implications for human health.

“Sleep is a biological enigma. Despite occupying much of an animal”s life, and having been scrutinized by numerous experimental studies, there is still no consensus on its function,” lead researcher Brian Preston said.

“Similarly, nobody has yet explained why species have evolved such marked variation in their sleep requirements (from 3 to 20 hours a day in mammals).

“Our research provides new evidence that sleep plays an important role in protecting animals from parasitic infection,” he added.

During the study, the researchers showed that evolutionary increases in mammalian sleep durations are strongly associated with the number of circulating immune cells.

And mammalian species that sleep for longer periods also have substantially reduced levels of parasitic infection.

“We suggest that sleep fuels the immune system. While awake, animals must be ready to meet multiple demands on a limited energy supply, including the need to search for food, acquire mates, and provide parental care,” he said.

“When asleep, animals largely avoid these costly activities, and can thus allocate resources to the body”s natural defenses.”

“Given the declines in human sleep durations that have occurred over the past few decades, there is a clear need for studies that further clarify the immunological significance of sleep,” he added.

The study has been published in the open-access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. (ANI)

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FBI looking for over 3000 additional staff

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan.8 (ANI): The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seeking to fill thousands of posts as it embarks on the biggest recruitment drive in its 101-year history.

According to the Scotsman, the vacancies include 850 special agents, besides a further 2,100 “professional staff positions”.

Jobs include intelligence analysts, fingerprint experts, language specialists and electronics technicians, presumably for help with wire-tapping and other hi-tech eavesdropping.

“Your country needs you.This is a great time to apply for a great job,” the paper quoted FBI spokesman Richard Kolko, as saying.

Perks include healthcare benefits and up to five weeks” annual holiday. However, the job description makes no mention of dark glasses, trenchcoats or trilby hats.

FBI officials said that they were on a hiring spree to counter new threats to internal security, especially from cyber crime, domestic terrorism and blue-collar criminals.

They said applicants with language skills and computer expertise would be welcome.

“We”re looking for professionals in a wide variety of fields who have a deep desire to help protect our nation from terrorists, spies, and others who wish us harm,” the Scotsman quoted John Raucci, the assistant director of the FBI”s human resources division, as saying.

Applicants must be US citizens and pass extensive background screening, including interviews with family, friends and former colleagues, and will be expected to uphold the agency”s motto of fidelity, bravery and integrity. (ANI)

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Teacher unveils book inspired by Obama and family

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 8 (ANI): A Prince George”s County teacher is so inspired by Barack Obama that he has gone ahead and wrote a book of word searches and puzzles based on the President-elect and his family.

The Rev. Eugene Williams Sr., of Clinton has self-published “Words, Cross & Across: Word Searches on Barack Obama” inspired by Obama’s rhetoric and his family.

The 67-year-old author said that he got struck by the idea for the book last year when his 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade English students at Annapolis Road Academy, in Bladensburg, failed to understand many of the words in Obama”s book “The Audacity of Hope” and Martin Luther King”s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“I see it as a family-oriented book. It”s a good way to bring families together and learn new words,” The Washington Times quoted Williams as saying.

He further said that he designed the searches and charts with word meanings and usage components so that students could also learn definitions.

In fact, a large number of his words were taken from the SAT prep class he taught, but not all the words are so complex.

In fact, he deliberately used words such as “father,” “nice” and “bank” to balance out “elucidate,” “puissant,” and “gregarious,” thus making it possible for even younger children to learn from the book.

“We want parents to sit down with children as young as 2- or 3-years-old,” said Williams.

For writing the 156-page book, Williams even made it a point to watch the president-elect on the Web site YouTube, to help him make better associations with Obama”s word choices.

“I teach words by association,” said Williams.

The book will be available at Local bookstores, Amazon.com and his Web site, www.academicresourcesunlimited.org, and the proceeds from its sales will go to Academic Resources Unlimited Inc., a nonprofit group created by Williams.

“People are buying everything about Barack Obama,” said Williams.

After the release, he sent two copies of “Words” to the Obama campaign office in Chicago – one for the President-elect and another for his wife, Michelle.

Williams said he knew the Obamas would appreciate his book because they shared the same philosophy on education.

“With an educated populace, we have a better society,” said Williams. (ANI)

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Californian woman raises troop morale and funds with ‘Pin-Ups for Vets’ calendar

January 8, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 8 (ANI): A woman from California has found a novel way of raising the morale of troops, and also funds for U.S. military hospitals with her third annual “Pin-Ups For Vets” calendar.

Gina Elise, 26, herself poses for the calendars, wearing costumes that were popular among America”s fighting men in the 1940s, with profits from the sales providing assistance to the hospitals.

“About two years ago I started hearing stories of wounded soldiers that were coming back to under funded hospitals, so I just decided that I really wanted to do something to help out,” Fox News quoted her as saying.

“I‘ve always been a huge fan of the pin-up era, so I figured I can sort of combine my love for this era to not only use the money for the hospitals but also help boost morale with the calendars themselves,” she said.

The UCLA grad started spreading the word about the project in hopes of enlisting some help, and takes time to mail her orders in a care package, or delivers them herself if they are for those recovering in U.S. hospitals.

“I go there and I ask things like their name and their birthday and show them their birth month on the calendar. A lot of these veterans don’t get visitors, so to see their reaction when I show up is really rewarding,” she said.

Loreleye Winn, Director of Voluntary Resources at San Diego’s Veterans Administration Hospital, recalled one of Elise’s visits.

“She was dressed like a ”40s pin-up lady and she passed out some calendars to the patients and went around to their bedsides,” Winn said.

“They really enjoyed it and it just was a pleasure to have someone come in and visit,” she added. (ANI)

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It”s most difficult to restore trust if broken early in relationship

January 8, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 8 (ANI): Trust, they say, once broken can never be built again, but researchers have now said that if the breach of trust happens in the beginning of a relationship, it is more difficult to overcome than a betrayal that occurs after ties are established.

According to the results, early violations can be particularly devastating, and plant seeds of doubt that may never go away

“First impressions matter when you want to build a lasting trust. If you get off on the wrong foot, the relationship may never be completely right again. It”s easier to rebuild trust after a breach if you already have a strong relationship,” said Robert Lount, co-author of the study and assistant professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University”s Fisher College of Business.

He said that the results defy the popular notion that suggests many great relationships start off on a bad note.

“Our results fly in the face of this Hollywood notion of hating someone at first sight but then developing a wonderful, passionate relationship. The likelihood of that happening in real life is pretty low,” he said.

For the study, the researcher conducted two related experiments, where college students participated in a game in which their partners violated their trust either right at the beginning of the game or somewhere in the middle.

Using a famous game in psychology called the prisoner”s dilemma, the researchers aimed at determining how much the students were willing to cooperate with the partner after trust was breached.

In the first experiment, 138 students played multiple rounds of the game on a computer, which they thought they were playing with a student via a computer in another room. However, they were actually playing with a computer that was programmed to defect at specific points during the more than 30 rounds of the game.

The results indicated that participants who experienced the immediate breaches of trust had the most negative evaluations of their partners.

It was found that participants who experienced a breach of trust during the first two trials of the game were also the least likely to cooperate at the end of the game, suggesting they had the least trust in their partners.

On the other hand, participants who experienced a trust breach latest in the game showed the most cooperation at the end of the game.

Lount pointed out that in all cases, the computer defected against the participants the same number of times, but the timing of the breaches was key.

“An immediate breach of trust is particularly difficult to overcome, and later breaches are considerably less harmful,” he said.

After the experiment, the participants filled a questionnaire and it was found that those who experienced the immediate breach rated their partners as less trustworthy than did those whose partner defected later in the game.

In a second experiment, the researchers essentially repeated the first experiment with 108 students, but this time the students answered a short set of questions concerning their perceptions and feelings about their partner immediately following a breach and every 10 trials thereafter.

“Our results suggest that immediate breaches are especially costly because they seriously damage the impressions people have about their partner, and that”s hard to repair,” he said.

The study has been published in a recent issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. (ANI)

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