Monthly Archives: May 2012

8 Things Not to Do in Your First 3 Months on the Job

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After on boarding a new organization it is very important for professionals to keep in mind that he/she should give his/her level best in order to create a good impression at their new job. Remember that for the first ninety days of your joining, everyone has an eye on you to find out that whether you are a good hire or not, suggests Stacey Hawley, Principal at Credo, a career services company, reports Ritika Trikha on Career Bliss.

Therefore, one should be very careful after on boarding a new organization and avoid spoiling their trustworthiness. Listed below are eight things to avoid doing after joining the organization suggested by seasoned experts.

1. Never say ‘That’s not my Job’ : Most jobs in today’s corporate world requires to change the job duties of professionals in no time, therefore, you should be flexible in order to take up any work,  if you deny to take up new duties that shows you are not a team player , according to  Yung Trang, President of TechBargains.com. Yung Trang suggests professionals to ready to extend support whenever you are needed as you will be always remembered by your company superiors for this good quality of yours, no matter what you do later.

2. Never behave as if you know everything: It is always advisable for you to be an observer after jo ining the organization, no matter how qualified and skillful you are, you should carefully see how things work in that organization, moreover, you should observe the work culture and the employees working in the organization instead of giving your own suggestions, so that they can do things differently, claims Stacy Pursell, executive search consultant of the Pursell Group.

3. Don’t be Unsocial: You should definitely know that being unsocial will keep you from integrating into the company’s family. Building a good rapport with the people in the organization will prove to be one advantage for you in the long run, therefore, never say no to lunch invitations or company functions. According to Rachel Dotson, Communications Manager at Zip Recruiter, you should not hesitate to mix well with the people in the organization, which will enable you to bridge the gap between you and them, as people are less likely to respond to their new co- workers.

4. Do not take vacations immediately after joining: If you take up a vacation immediately after join ing the organization, it will be difficult for you to settle down there. Taking vacations immediately won’t prove to be a wise decision as by this you are sure to annoy your employers. Yung Trang says that if you have already planned your vacation before joining the organization, you should let your employer know about that beforehand as a condition of accepting the job offer.

5. Do not get involved in surfing the social networking sites: Even if you don’t have much wor k immediately after joining the organization, never, ever think of spending your time surfing the social networking sites as this is sure to annoy your employers. No employer will tolerate that they are paying an employee for time wasting and surfing the social networking sites, suggests Hunter Valmont, President of Hunter Valmont PR.

6. Never get indulged with office Gossip: Many of your co – workers would like you to get invo lved in office gossips, and in order to be liked by them you may commit the mistake of getting involved with the office gossips and politics which may lead to your departure from the office soon, says Roberta Matuson, president of Human Resource Solutions

7. Don’t lie about a mistake done by you: Remember that mistakes can be committed by anyone, e specially if you are a new comer it is acceptable by your employers that you can commit errors, however, you should not lie to your employers if you have committed any mistake as this will give them a reason to mistrust you, according to President and CEO of LaSalle Network Tom Gimbel.

8. Avoid saying ‘I’ instead of ‘We’: Employers like professionals with team spirit, therefore, as a new employee you should never decline to demonstrate your team spirit to them. So use ‘We’ instead of ‘I’ in every possible sentence. Moreover, you are required to work in a team environment in the organization. So even if most of the contributions regarding the productivity of the business are done by you, never in any conversation with your company superiors say that “I did this”, says Samantha Goldberg, celebrity event designer-spokesperson, television personality and experienced manager/trainer.

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Facebook Fever High among Indian Students

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Facebook has become a part of youngsters’ life now. The numbers of Facebook users are rising day by day in India. The increasing Facebook obsession is creating tension among parents since the children show more interest in using Facebook than any other form of entertainment.

The recent TCS GenY survey uncovers this increasing trend among the urban high school students across India. Survey points out that only 0.71 percent of urban students use television for entertainment while the number of school students who use Facebook increased from 17 percent in 2009 to 85 percent now.

The survey says that Facebook is the favorite among students to connect with their peer group. Other social sites like Orkut and India-based networks like Apnacircle, iBibo and Hi5 have more popularity only in mini-metros compared to metros. As per the survey reports Twitter has not yet achieved much popularity among children in India.

The survey finds out that 84.3 percent of urban children in India use internet from their homes. The students who use internet at cyber cafes have decreased from 46 percent in 2009 to 20 percent now. “Research for School” is the main access for students to use computers at school and most of the time it is followed by the social reasons like chatting/connecting with friends and listening to music. 74 percent children use internet for school-related research. The number of Indian students who access internet through PC is 68 percent.

Other findings of survey say that among gadgets children prefer mobile phone for communication. Survey figures 79 percent children who own mobile phones. 59 percent of students make voice calls to communicate and the 45 percent use email as a mode of communication. Interestingly 33 percent of students spent more than one hour on internet every day and 34 percent prefer IT as the first option for a career.

It is true that Facebook has a screening system where the birth date of the applicants is being asked and those below the prescribed are rejected.  But the children are clever enough to create accounts through false birth dates.

Federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) has been restricting the children under 13 who post personal information on Facebook that can be publicly viewed. The act forbids sites from the knowing disclosing of children’s personally identifiable information. “We are very concerned about kids eliding around COPPA’s restrictions,” Federal Trade Commission chair Jon Leibowitz said. The findings prove that even these restrictions are not enough in front of our clever children.

The consumer reports’ survey also says that only 18 percent of parents make their child a Facebook friend. Parents are largely unconcerned about their children since only 10 percent of parents of kids 10 and under had open talks about appropriate online behavior and threats.

All the surveys reveals out the fact that the future generation is very much technology oriented. When the basic instinct to communicate itself is accomplished by social networks like Facebook, addiction towards technology is increasing on children. The time when the social values replace scientific values is not far away.

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Teen solves centuries-old math problem

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 A 16-year-old in Germany who solved a centuries-old math problem credited his accomplishment to “schoolboy naivety.”

Shouryya Ray, whose family moved from India to Dresden when he was 12, solved a pair of fundamental particle dynamics problems posed by Isaac Newton more than 350 years ago to make it possible to calculate the flight path of a ball and predict how it will hit and bounce off a wall, The Local.de reported Wednesday.

Ray said he learned about the problems when his school, which specializes in science, sent his 11th grade class to the Technical University in Dresden.

The teenager said his “schoolboy naivety” would not allow him to accept that the problems couldn’t be solved.

“I asked myself: why can’t it work?” he told the Die Welt newspaper.

Ray said he is currently deciding whether to study math or physics when he moves on to college.

Biggest Robberies in the World So Far!!!

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Most of the men have earned billions by robbing in some of the most major places in the world. These incidents literally stunned the world by hearing the amount of money which was looted. Here are the top 5 major robberies starting from the fifth major robbery which was reported by Iakhovas on the ListVerse Website.

1. Knightsbridge Security Deposit [12th July 1987-UK: 60 Million Pounds]:


This robbery is considered to be one among the biggest robberies in the world so far. It took place on 12th July 1987 in Knightsbridge, which is a part of City of Westminster in London, England. This biggest robbery was led by Valerio Viccei. He was the son of a lawyer who shifted his base from Italy to London in the year 1986. This guy was wanted for 50 armed robberies. He was sentenced to death for 22 years and one day on 19th April 2000 when he was on a day release from the prison in Italy, there began a gunfight between Viccei and police which resulted in his death.

2. Bagdad Bank Robbery [ 12th July 2007- Bagdad, Iraq: $282 million]:

One fine morning Employees were back to work at this bank and just after few times the entire money deposited at the bank was robbed within no time. Till now it has been believed that it was robbed by three of the bank’s guards. Approximately $282 million was robbed from this bank and thus it is considered to be a biggest robbery. This amount is more than a quarter of a billion dollars. It can be considered as an entire economy of some of the small countries. It has also been suspected that these guards were having the support of the armed forces.

3. Boston Museum [18th March 1990-Boston, U.S.A: $300 million]:

Boston Museum was popularly known as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or also Fenway Court. This museum was very well known from the time of Isabella Stewart Gardner. It is the museum which is situated at Boston, Massachusetts. Early Morning on March 18th, when the whole city were celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day, 2 thieves dressed up like Boston police officers entered the museum misleading the inexperienced guards. Before entering the museum, they quickly handcuffed the guards at the museum basement and then entered the museum and roamed throughout the museum galleries stealing thirteen art works with a combined value of $300 million. This robbery is also considered as the single property theft in the History. The museum authority has also announced a reward of $5million for information leading to the recovery of the stolen artworks.

4. City Bonds Robbery [2nd May 1990- London, UK: 292 million Pounds]:

This robbery took place on May 2nd when John Goddard, a 58 years old messenger was working for broker Sheppard, and on May 2nd while he was walking down the quiet London side street with a briefcase in his hand, he was attacked for the briefcase as the contents in that briefcase contained 292 million pounds in owner bonds. Goddard was held at the knifepoint and at the same point his attackers made off with 301 treasury bills which were most valued at 292 million pounds. Keith Cheeseman was arrested in connection to this crime and it was also suspected that Patrick Thomas was also involved in this second largest robbery, but unfortunately Thomas was found dead of a gunshot before he was charged for this robbery. However, it is amazing to hear that this second largest robbery till now was carried out by 2 low level thieves.

5. Central Bank of Iraq [18th March 2003-Bagdad, Iraq: $1 Billion]:

This largest robbery until now was done by none other than Saddam Hussein or at least his son was involved in this robbery. However, a big robbery needs lot of master plans, but this biggest robbery till now, was considered to be the much simpler as well as the much effective once. On March 18th 2003 morning before the U.S. began bombing on Iraq, Hussein allegedly stole nearly $1 Billion from the Central Bank of Iraq. However, Hussein had treated Iraq as the nation was under his control every time, so this robbery did not turn in to be a big surprise. After Saddam’s death, The U.S. military troop found approximately $ 650 million that was hidden in the walls of one of his palaces and the other $ 350 million has been considered lost as they were not recovered by them.

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10 Promotional Online Tools for Your Business

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For small business owners, one of the greatest advantages of using the Internet is the plethora of ways to promote their business using online tools. Here’s a list of ten tools and services you can find online that will greatly help in your marketing efforts.

1. Low-Hanging Fruit

Hopefully you’re already using these basic online marketing tools, but just in case you’re not, here’s a list of must-haves for promoting your business:

  • Your own website with a unique URL. Make the investment to develop a professional, well-designed website.
  • Social media accounts. Remember that not all social media will be appropriate for your business, and if you try to keep up with too many accounts, you will become overwhelmed and not succeed with any of them. 
  • Your own blog. Blogs are a great way to improve your search engine rankings and gain freer, organic traffic for your website.
  • An email list. Sending out regular emails promoting your products and services is still one of the best ways to promote your business using the Internet.

2. Google Analytics

Once you implement the low-hanging fruits mentioned above, you need to track their effectiveness in promoting your business. To find get started, visit Google.com/analytics.

3. FeedBurner

FeedBurner is another free Google tool that you can use to promote your business online. It allows you to create a feed for your website or your blog for free, making it easy for potential customers to follow what’s happening at your website(s). The FeedBurner website is FeedBurner.com.

4. Google Docs

As long as we’re talking about free services from Google, let’s talk about two more, starting with Google Docs. Instead of emailing documents back and forth to business partners, create a Google Doc and share it with the other people who need the information. The website for Google Docs is Docs.Google.com.

5. Google Voice

You can save money for your business by getting a Google Voice phone number instead of paying for a land line. The Google Voice number, which is free, can be set to ring your cell phone or the cell phones of any of your business partners. You can also make an outgoing call from your cell phone but the person you are calling will see your Google Voice number instead of your personal number. 

6 – 10. Get it Cheaper Online

The following services are examples of tools you can purchase for promoting your business online that are all less expensive than purchasing from a traditional brick-and-mortar store:

6. Online printing – You need professional brochures and they will cost you less than you expect if you purchase printed materials online.
7. Office supplies – Buy supplies in bulk from online retailers.
8. Marketing collateral – Pens with your business name on them, travel mugs with your logo, umbrellas printed with your website address: These are all items that you can purchase online at a great rate.
9. Graphic design – Get great prices on professional graphic and web design by using a competitive online marketplace such as eLance.com.


10. Blog sharing – Speaking of outsourcing things, if you’re too busy to keep up with your blog, try accepting guest submissions. Developing relationships is the key to success on the web and collaboration is a great thing for any venture.

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Money Lessons From 7 Deadly Sins

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Who says the 7 Deadly Sins are all bad? The trick is to learn something useful from these evils. After all, taking a negative and turning it into positive is creativity. Tim, of FaithAndFinance.Org, has given an interesting take on how the 7 Cardinal Sins can actually teach us about money –  

1. Lust

Lust is perhaps the one sin that piques mankind’s imagination the most. But apart from its obvious meaning, lustencompasses a tremendous craving for worldly pleasures. Lust can make people desire for filthy rich lifestyle and blatantly expensive materialistic things. If you want to be a victim of lust, then desire of being wealthy the right way. Plus, when it comes to money, desiring for more is good as long as it is put to good use and is earned by proper means.

2. Gluttony

This is among those cardinal sins which are not very desirable. No one wants to be a glutton but everyone wants to hoard money, which pretty much means the same. It is not easy to shake off gluttony but there are ways to turn it around. If you want to enjoy the power of money each day and live like a king, you will first have to work for it. Besides, if you earn money well you can burn it just as easily but in moderation. After all, who does not love a big Sunday brunch?

3. Greed

This sin is as old as time itself. This has such an infamous reputation that it is synonymous with money and also the root of all evil. We all want to be wealthy like Scrooge but not being called ‘greedy.’ If you want to be greedy, then do it the right way. The right kind of greedy loves his/her money and so, spends it wisely. In other words, frugal people fit right in this category. As the frugal love their money, they will never make an ill purchase. So, be greedy the frugal way!

4. Sloth

This sin is the kid brother of the rest of the sins. We all love lounging around and whiling away our time. But when someone else plays around with your money and spends their leisure time with it, it hurts. Money should never be kept idly, even if you have tons of it. Invest it and make it grow the right way. So, even if you have reached financial freedom, don’t burn your money on useless things or worse – keep it stagnant. So, when it comes to money – exercise it well.

5. Wrath

Wondering how this sin fits in, then read on. Wrath takes milder forms in real life. It can morph into – irritation, frustration, annoyance, impatience and even revenge. This is something that needs to be dealt with tactfully else it will spell disaster. If your present professional life is making you mad, then channel this anger into improving yourself in order to get a better job. Acquire skills to improve your personality, money handling and the like to help you become better. Plain anger with no fruitful results is a stupid reason for raising your blood pressure.

6. Envy

This sin is the baby sister of the remaining ones. We all have gone through this sin at some point of time or the other. But do not underestimate this sin as it is quite powerful. Still, learning from this sin too is possible. If you are envious of some person’s rich lifestyle, don’t wring your hands in vain. If you are ‘J’ of someone or something, pick the right means in order to achieve it. A little fire in the belly will be good for you to strive for the best and aim for the sky.

7. Pride

Last but not the least, here is the king of all the sins and perhaps the only undefeatable one. Pride might ‘hath a fall’ and so it is important to differentiate it from egotism. If you are too proud of your money, then beware. Pride should make you a better person, like pride for our country. Take pride and make it work for you. If you take pride in your money, then take good care of it. You don’t have to stingy but be proud that you have made and maintained a good empire.

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Severe Nuclear Reactor Accidents Likely Every 10 to 20 Years, European Study Suggests

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Western Europe has the worldwide highest risk of radioactive contamination caused by major reactor accidents.

 

Global risk of radioactive contamination. The map shows the annual probability in percent of radioactive contamination by more than 40 kilobecquerels per square meter. In Western Europe the risk is around two percent per year. (Credit: Daniel Kunkel, MPI for Chemistry, 2011)

Catastrophic nuclear accidents such as the core meltdowns in Chernobyl and Fukushima are more likely to happen than previously assumed. Based on the operating hours of all civil nuclear reactors and the number of nuclear meltdowns that have occurred, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz have calculated that such events may occur once every 10 to 20 years (based on the current number of reactors) — some 200 times more often than estimated in the past. The researchers also determined that, in the event of such a major accident, half of the radioactive caesium-137 would be spread over an area of more than 1,000 kilometres away from the nuclear reactor. Their results show that Western Europe is likely to be contaminated about once in 50 years by more than 40 kilobecquerel of caesium-137 per square meter. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, an area is defined as being contaminated with radiation from this amount onwards. In view of their findings, the researchers call for an in-depth analysis and reassessment of the risks associated with nuclear power plants.

The reactor accident in Fukushima has fuelled the discussion about nuclear energy and triggered Germany’s exit from their nuclear power program. It appears that the global risk of such a catastrophe is higher than previously thought, a result of a study carried out by a research team led by Jos Lelieveld, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz: “After Fukushima, the prospect of such an incident occurring again came into question, and whether we can actually calculate the radioactive fallout using our atmospheric models.” According to the results of the study, a nuclear meltdown in one of the reactors in operation worldwide is likely to occur once in 10 to 20 years. Currently, there are 440 nuclear reactors in operation, and 60 more are planned.

To determine the likelihood of a nuclear meltdown, the researchers applied a simple calculation. They divided the operating hours of all civilian nuclear reactors in the world, from the commissioning of the first up to the present, by the number of reactor meltdowns that have actually occurred. The total number of operating hours is 14,500 years, the number of reactor meltdowns comes to four — one in Chernobyl and three in Fukushima. This translates into one major accident, being defined according to the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), every 3,625 years. Even if this result is conservatively rounded to one major accident every 5,000 reactor years, the risk is 200 times higher than the estimate for catastrophic, non-contained core meltdowns made by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 1990. The Mainz researchers did not distinguish ages and types of reactors, or whether they are located in regions of enhanced risks, for example by earthquakes. After all, nobody had anticipated the reactor catastrophe in Japan.

25 percent of the radioactive particles are transported further than 2,000 kilometres

Subsequently, the researchers determined the geographic distribution of radioactive gases and particles around a possible accident site using a computer model that describes Earth’s atmosphere. The model calculates meteorological conditions and flows, and also accounts for chemical reactions in the atmosphere. The model can compute the global distribution of trace gases, for example, and can also simulate the spreading of radioactive gases and particles. To approximate the radioactive contamination, the researchers calculated how the particles of radioactive caesium-137 (137Cs) disperse in the atmosphere, where they deposit on Earth’s surface and in what quantities. The 137Cs isotope is a product of the nuclear fission of uranium. It has a half-life of 30 years and was one of the key elements in the radioactive contamination following the disasters of Chernobyl and Fukushima.

The computer simulations revealed that, on average, only eight percent of the 137Cs particles are expected to deposit within an area of 50 kilometres around the nuclear accident site. Around 50 percent of the particles would be deposited outside a radius of 1,000 kilometres, and around 25 percent would spread even further than 2,000 kilometres. These results underscore that reactor accidents are likely to cause radioactive contamination well beyond national borders.

The results of the dispersion calculations were combined with the likelihood of a nuclear meltdown and the actual density of reactors worldwide to calculate the current risk of radioactive contamination around the world. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an area with more than 40 kilobecquerels of radioactivity per square meter is defined as contaminated.

The team in Mainz found that in Western Europe, where the density of reactors is particularly high, the contamination by more than 40 kilobecquerels per square meter is expected to occur once in about every 50 years. It appears that citizens in the densely populated southwestern part of Germany run the worldwide highest risk of radioactive contamination, associated with the numerous nuclear power plants situated near the borders between France, Belgium and Germany, and the dominant westerly wind direction.

If a single nuclear meltdown were to occur in Western Europe, around 28 million people on average would be affected by contamination of more than 40 kilobecquerels per square meter. This figure is even higher in southern Asia, due to the dense populations. A major nuclear accident there would affect around 34 million people, while in the eastern USA and in East Asia this would be 14 to 21 million people.

“Germany’s exit from the nuclear energy program will reduce the national risk of radioactive contamination. However, an even stronger reduction would result if Germany’s neighbours were to switch off their reactors,” says Jos Lelieveld. “Not only do we need an in-depth and public analysis of the actual risks of nuclear accidents. In light of our findings I believe an internationally coordinated phasing out of nuclear energy should also be considered ,” adds the atmospheric chemist.

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Synchronized Brains: Feeling Strong Emotions Makes People’s Brains ‘Tick Together’

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Experiencing strong emotions synchronizes brain activity across individuals, a research team at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre in Finland has revealed.

                                       Experiencing strong emotions synchronizes brain activity across individuals.

(Credit: Image courtesy of Aalto University)

Human emotions are highly contagious. Seeing others’ emotional expressions such as smiles triggers often the corresponding emotional response in the observer. Such synchronization of emotional states across individuals may support social interaction: When all group members share a common emotional state, their brains and bodies process the environment in a similar fashion.

Researchers at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre have now found that feeling strong emotions makes different individuals’ brain activity literally synchronous.

The results revealed that especially feeling strong unpleasant emotions synchronized brain’s emotion processing networks in the frontal and midline regions. On the contrary, experiencing highly arousing events synchronized activity in the networks supporting vision, attention and sense of touch.

“Sharing others’ emotional states provides the observers a somatosensory and neural framework that facilitates understanding others’ intentions and actions and allows to ‘tune in’ or ‘sync’ with them. Such automatic tuning facilitates social interaction and group processes,” says Adjunct Professor Lauri Nummenmaa from the Aalto University, Finland.

“The results have major implications for current neural models of human emotions and group behavior. It also deepens our understanding of mental disorders involving abnormal socioemotional processing,” Nummenmaa says.

Participants’ brain activity was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging while they were viewing short pleasant, neutral and unpleasant movies.

UPA-II’s Forgotten Promises

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UPA Government started its second term three years ago by promising some key reforms. People kept high expectations on the government under the Manmohan Singh when they elected him for the second time. Since then the government took charge of the state but unfortunately some of the key reforms are still pending in the market. Below are those reforms that the market has been eagerly waiting for.

Organized Retail:

India has allowed 100 percent foreign direct investment in cash-and-carry and wholesale stores but FDI in multi-brand through 49 percent ownership has been blocked by allies and opposition parties. Players like WalMart, Carrefour and Tesco could directly enter market and provide more options for the consumers if this was allowed.

Indian market consists of 98 percent of unorganized retail sector. The unorganized sector is dominated by counter-stores and street venders who regard this as a career to survive. Unfortunately many of these retailers are uneducated, unskilled and they never have the means to improve or expand business and to develop the retail sector. Most of these retailers hardly have the support of consumers.

Looking at the long term and short term growth of retail in India, many business giants like Pantaloon Retail, Shopper’s Stop, and Reliance Retail etc. have entered the industry for almost a decade introducing organized retail markets. These giants supply products and services from small, medium and large entrepreneurs and manufacturers from all over India. They have also promoted many international brands in the markets. Many modern retail formats like malls, hypermarkets and supermarkets are common in all major cities now.

Organized retailing has been successful in foreign countries beside this the telecom industry of India has also witnessed profit with the introduction of multiple technologies, removal of market regulations and influx of capital. The penetration in telecom industry has risen from 1 percent to 10 percent now.

FDI in Insurance and Pension: 

The government was expected to make amendments to the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008 and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill (PFRDA), 2011. But it has been pending for a quite long time now.

The implementation of FDI insurance can bring a good amount of foreign capital and better performances in the industry as FDI in pension promises an expanded fund management. The Foreign investment in both has been limited to 26 percent for long and the government has failed to make it to up to 49 percent.

The long pending insurance and pension fund reform initiative seems to have dropped by government due to the pressure from government allies and opposition parties. This has distanced the dream of easier foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in insurance and pension funds.

“Except the whole issue of FDI, there is no other major problem with the insurance Bill. Given the political compulsions, FDI will be 26 percent. There is no other choice. It is a political call, “said, a top finance ministry official, who refused to be identified, as reported by live mint .com.

Fuel subsidies: 

The increasing petrol prices have been a major issue in our country. In order to make a radical change in its price a deregulation is much needed. Petrol has officially been deregulated but the government has not shown courage to deregulate the diesel, kerosene and LPG prices because of political issues. The deregulation of petroleum products will be beneficial in the long run since it provides the possibility of competition and a price decrease.

The governments bar on members of Parliament, legislative assemblies and gazetted officers from buying LPG at subsidized prices has been the move that the government has made recently.

New Tax regulations:

Finally the government has passed new Goods & service Tax and the Direct Tax Code bill. This will replace the 48 year old tax law in India. Though this reform has got implementation by date, the controversies followed seem to compress this before the next fiscal. Many states have already opposed to the GST.

If this reform can be implemented proper, there will be significant cut for the tax rates for individuals and companies and it can also attract many foreign investors. Since the present bill has got mixed responses we still have to wait and see this government promise’s practical application.

FDI in Aviation:

The government has already given proposals to reform the aviation sector but this has also been pending. The reform looks at 49 percent FDI investment in aviation sector. The present proposals for FDI seem to have ended again by the political reasons.

When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Aviation Minister Ajit Singh are in support of FDI the problems are within UPA itself. Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is at the top in opposing the proposal. The reform will be very much helpful to domestic airlines to access funds easily. Presently five of six main operators in the aviation market are losing money due to high fuel costs, high taxes and fierce competition.

 

Expensive Celebrity Homes

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The elegant homes of the celebrities include all the world-class amenities which one can only dream off.  From high-end mansions to luxury apartments, celebrities are spending millions to call these places as their home. These luxurious mansions are iconic and exemplary in their own way; they are also the perfect fusion of ‘Comfort and Luxury.’

1) Oprah Winfrey:

Valued at: $85 million

Oprah Winfrey, famously known for her women-empowering show, ‘Oprah,’ lives in one of the most expensive as well as amazing homes in the world. Her exclusive California estate was brought in the year 2001 for a whopping $55 million and since then the price of the Montecito estate has only increased. According to sources, the house is worth $85 million now. Her lavish home is lovingly called ‘Oasis,’ which is of 23,000 square feet in area. Winfrey’s home includes some attractive views along with lush gardens, gourmet kitchen, six bedrooms, a theatre, 14 bathrooms ,fire places and man-made lake filled with exotic fishes. This palatial house has a ‘garden teahouse’ which is one of the most attractive part that distinguishes this house from the others. To Winfrey, her home reflects her personality and also how she grew up, reports Sumitra Nair, Luxpresso.

2) Hugh Hefner:

Valued at – $54 Million

Hugh Hefner’s extravagant ‘Playboy Mansion’ is as impressive as its owner. This $54 million home is located in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles, California. This lavish ‘Playboy Mansion’ spreads over 21,987 square feet and was designed by the architect, Arthur R. Kelly, back in the year 1927. Hefner’s palatial abode features 22 rooms, swimming pool area with – bathhouse, sauna and grotto, waterfall, tennis courts, zoo and aviary (with a pet cemetery), game room, wine cellar and the famous yet elusive ‘Elvis Suite.’

3) Billy Joel:

Valued at- $35 million

Singer Billy Joel’s beach house is perhaps the hottest place to live. This uptown home is worth $35 million and spans over an area of 303,310 square feet. This house is located in La Gorce Island in Miami Beach, Florida. This beach facing stylish house is made up of materials like glass, stone and onyx. Also, this house is famous for onyx-studded bathrooms and a fireplace, which is hand-carved. Joel’s lavish house offers breathtaking views of the beach, which makes it the most exotic.

4) Jerry Sienfeld:

Valued at – $32 Million

Jerry Sienfeld, the famous stand-up comedian and wife Jessica bought singer Billy Joels’ home for whopping $32 million. This house is situated in The Hamptons (East), New York. This expensive property spans over 12 acres of land and features some interesting entities. It is renowned for its one-of-a-kind baseball field. This lavish house includes 22 garages, den, nursery room and playroom. This water-front house of Seinfeld also has a guesthouse and a pool. In the year 2007, OK magazine called his house the “best partying house in the Hamptons.”

5) Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Valued at-$23.5 million

Hollywood’s action hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his ex-wife Maria Shriver had a very lovely home in Brentwood County, California. This extravagant home was bought for a whopping of $18 million in 2003, and since then, the value of the property has only appreciated. Apparently worth $23.5 million now, this house is spread over 2.5 acres of land or over 14,500 square feet. This palatial abode features around 10 bathrooms, 7 bedrooms, tennis court, spa, a pool and duck pond with natural stream. This house has a Mediterranean-style compound and a full-sized guest house and also been said that the house is “totally private and secluded.” This former couple’s home was also on the list of ‘elite homes on sale.’

6) Will Smith:

Valued at-$20 million

Hollywood celebrity couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s dream house in California is one of the most spacious as well as expensive. Smith lovingly calls their house as ‘Calabasas Castle.’ This house is located in Santa Monica Mountains, Calabasas, California. The couple’s palatial house is so big that sometimes it jokingly said that it has its own zip code – the American version of our pin codes. This residential property spans over 63 acres of land and occupies an area of 11,000 square feet. Calabasas Castle has few distinct features such as a bar in every room of the house, golf course, tennis court, basketball court, a huge swimming pool and a man-made lake.

7) Shah Rukh Khan:

Valued At- 17.84 crore (approx)

Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan may have one spacious abode in Mumbai, but this doesn’t stop him from being the proud owner of a Signature Villa on ‘The Palm Jumeirah’ worth 17.84 crore. This expensive house, he claims it as a gift for his endorsement of the ‘The Palm Jumeirah,’ the man-made Island. This house features six bedrooms, two remote control car garages, a swimming pool and private access to the beach. This lavish villa in Dubai spreads over 8500 square feet and occupies 14000 square feet of plots. Khan likes to visit this villa with his family as the place provides privacy for his family.

8) Pink:

Valued At- $11.8 million

Singer Pink and her husband Carey Hart invested on a Malibu Mansion for $11.8 million, the time when the couple was expecting their first baby. This beautiful mansion is located in Malibu, California and spreads over 6800 square foot. This lavish property is near to the coastline and has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a large swimming pool and five garages.

9) Jay Z and Beyonce:

Valued at-$20 million

This couple has a beautiful lavish home on a private island worth $20 million. The same island which singer Jay z gifted his pretty wife Beyonce on her 29th birthday. This private island is located off-shore Florida and spreads over 12.5 acres of land. This expensive house features world-class amenities and offers breathtaking views of the landscape.

10) Salman Khan:

Valued at- 32 crore

Bollywood actor Salman Khan has recently invested on a triplex worth 32 crore, which is near to Shahrukh Khan’s house Mannat. Apparently, he has not shifted to his new home on a 28-storey building named ‘The Adress,’ which is also near to this current home at Galaxy apartments. This property spreads over 9763 square feet of area and is still under construction, according to sources.