The term called 'net-take home salary'

Well, these are times of recession and being a fresher it is difficult to get a job. And even if you manage to get one, the companies are duping people in giving them the agreed upon salary. Certain technical terms are suddenly propping up when they are handing you over the pay- check which was not discussed when you were recruited.

This is the first time i'm using the blog to talk about a personal grievance, because i'm clueless about what to do, how to deal with the situation, how to register my protest, because given the situation in the market i just cannot resign. Currently, i'm working in a MNC as copy- editor. Before this fraud, i just loved my job. I was happy editing the manuscripts. But everything changed with the arrival of the paycheck. the take-home what was agreed upon, suddenly isn't what i was supposed to take home, but less than that ( some sudden deductions have been made). I'm being told that i should have clearly asked what is my ' net take-home', which according to them means what i'm getting in-hand. ( I have worked earlier, though for brief periods only, as well but have never encountered such duplicity from the employer. But publishing industry, is new to me)

Moral of the story is that if you are a fresher in the field in these times of recession, be careful. If a fresher chance to read this blog please be careful while negotiating your salary and if someone experience in the job market happen to read this blog, please give some adivce.

Pakistani connection to the healing touch

Yesterday, the Trident hotel re-opened after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. It had made the point clear that they are also towing the Government line and won't entertain any pakistani guest in their hotel. Meanwhile, during the week BCCI canceled India's tour to Pakistan to play cricket tournament next month. The Government of India continued to build pressure on Pakistan to act tough against the terror.

In the back drop of all these important developments, watching the second test match between India and england was a breather. Kevin Pieterson was entertaining, as the english team continued to score runs at a quick pace. The cricket test series between the two teams turns out to be 'healing touch' kind of experience. We Indians are thankful to the English side that even after the tragic incidences in Mumbai, they have not only come back to play in india but also giving a good competition (as a test team they are performing better) to the home team.

However, if the sad memories Mumbai attacks had a Pakistani hand, so does the healing touch of cricket have a Pakistani hand in it. If you are watching the match carefully, then you will notice Umpire Asad Rauf who is also a Pakistani national,is helping in the proceedings of the match. His presence in the field is a reminder that while chasing the bad people,we should not forget the good ones.. Not all of Pakistan is an international migrane, its a just a few of them who are posing threat. And the world should seperate those weeds only.

Fair & Handsome

It is the women who are often criticized for putting on make-up or relying too much on cosmetic products. The usual charges that one comes to hear of, is that they don't understand the need of the hour or undermine the value of time by wasting time on looking fair.

This will be Breaking-news for those critics. Guess who would care more for looking fair when they are on a serious mission (though the mission was mass murder)? It's the bunch of terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

It could not be more surprising to discover that the terrorists along with carrying the other essential commodities to survive on the trawler Kuber on high sea, were also carrying tubes of fairness cream. The security agencies have found along with tooth brushes, tooth paste, dairy whiteners, clothes, soap detergent, namaz caps, instructions to operate arms in urdu and satchets of fairness cream shipped from Dubai.

Cold cream would have made more sense than fairness cream given the dry season that has already set-in, in the region.Though the guys were going to launch a killing spree in a city at the end of their voyage, they could not care less to look fair. And the cream certainly have worked wonders, as the eyewitness who saw these men getting off a dingy in Macchimar colony described them as "gore-chikne ladke" ( fair and handsome men).

Living with terror

It was not long that I experienced a terrorist attack at the heart of the capital Delhi-- the Connaught Place--popularly called C.P. Was recuperating from the terror that the blasts caused. Everyday passing by the Regal Cinema (from where a live bomb was recovered) and Barakhamba road bus stop (a bomb went off there in the September blasts), I have this Goosebumpy feeling. Yes, I was not there, nor any of my friends. Though, most of us have to pass by those places everyday.

Most of the time, I tell myself that a criminal does not strike a place that has already been struck. But such logic stands defied when I watch the city of Mumbai attacked once again by terrorists. Well this time the terrorists were roaming around the city shooting people in cafes, train terminal, hospital, innocent bystanders on road and then taking hostages in the luxurious, prestigious and landmark hotels in the city. Our security forces did a great job in record time. Their bravery installs the faith that somebody is there who can protect us from these anti-humanity elements.

But the other scary fact remains that now you cannot live without the thought that you can die any moment. The larger fact remains that the terrorists have been striking at their own will. Whether our policy makers are at fault or the intelligence sources or both, I refrain from commenting on that but the larger fact remains. As it was said in the movie, ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ that “its easier to get killed by a militant than getting married/a decent husband” (not sure of the part said after ‘than’, but the first part about being getting killed by terrorist I remember pretty well) is indeed becoming true.

TINY LONG LOST PRIMATE REDISCOVERED

Photo courtsey: Reuters

For the first time in more than eight decades, scientists have observed a living pygmy tarsier, which is one of the planet's smallest and rarest primates. It was discovered on a misty mountaintop on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

The scientists were successful in trapping three furry, mouse-sized pygmy tarsiers -- two males and one female -- on Mt. Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in central Sulawesi, the researchers said on Tuesday. They spotted a fourth one which was successful in getting away.

Some scientists believed the tarsiers to have become extinct. They may not have been overly thrilled by this redicovery.

The tarsirer is a nocturnal primate found in an area with lower vegetative species diversity. Its found in central Sulawesi, Indonesia.The Pygmy Tarsiers were believed by some to be extinct until 2000, when Indonesian scientists accidentally killed one while trapping rats. Tarsiers, in general, are insectivorous. They are the only primates that are completely carnivorous as well.

WORSENING DRIVING SKILL, BLAME IT ON VIDEO GAMES

According to Australian experts, Video games which allow teenagers to indulge in driving stunts are actually encouraging bad road habits.

Acting Superintendent of New South Wales, Dave Evans said that videogames make adolescents think of themselves as invincible.

It's been revealed that 104 P-platers are losing their licences each day.Over 2000 P-platers lost their licences for drink driving, speeding over 45km/h over the limit and other serious offences, while 1674 were caught breaking the speed limit by more than 30km/hr. While German researchers pointed out that it is the men who tend to take more risks on the road than women after racing in video games.

This study sounded very interesting to me, as few days back a fellow blogger, Human Observer, had notified in his blog, about how a nine year old kid in Japan actually learnt driving by playing video games and used his driving skills to steal the family car to visit his grandma.

Chandrayaan was necessary

India's maiden Moon mission blasted off on October 22, 2008. It is going to map the moon(which is considered as the book that contains all the records about the emergence of the Solar system) for the next two years to help the scientific community to understand the Moon and our Universe better.
Critics of the mission find it as waste of money. Some comics are going to the extent of poking fun by saying, Chandrayaan is only going to probe estabhlished facts. This was not what the Indian scientists were expecting from a nation (even though the number of the cricts are few) which has gained freedom barely more than over 60 years ago. One of the crucial reasons why we lost the battle agianst the British and became a victim of imperialism was that we chose to ignore a scientific attitude, an attidude to look forward. Are we going to repeat the same mistakes, just because of some critics?
Probably not. The community of scientists and our leadership won't let that happen. They will probably be able to make the critics understand the significance of the mission. For that, some clear talking needs to be done .
All geo-political significances needs to be made clear--India cann't ignore the fact that most of the powerful nations in Asia are making their move into space technology. Why should our scientists remain dependent on the researches of other nations, they too should get the opportunity to do it on their own which will attract more young minds towards this field and may curb the brain drain.
The critics need to understand that if as a nation we are dreaming of becoming a superpower, we will have to make suitable efforts to become one and keep up with the times. It will require money, but it is for the development of the country. Somebody definitely made the payments for Copernicus to let his discovery of route to India possible.