Monday, December 31, 2007

Adieu!! 2007 HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008


Another year gone by. Aah! yeah almost gone by just 10 hrs remain... i dont think it woild be justifiable if i say that the year 2007 was just an another year. Ofcourse for majority of the people who read the post it was just an another year but for some it might have been a year to remember, a year whose memories are cherishable ever after. a year which would have given the joy like no other year had...
For me, there was not enough excitement only thing is that i got more matured. Matured enough to avoid unrealistic thoughts (I am gr8 day dreamer)... so the needle is slightly inclined to the another year part of decription of 2007 :)
I read a page from TOI, sort of compendium of events without chronology which has nicely compiled the events of 2007. I am posting the same here, hope you would like and thank me for this. Wishing you a sparkling new year 2008 ahead...Stop complaining about what 2007 havent given you, start thinking the positives of 2007 and go ahead to embrace 2008 with zest...

A

Ajmer Sharif, the mecca of secularism, bombed, two killed. Abhi-Ash are married, media kept out. Alistair Pereira gets three years from HC for mowing down seven labourers while driving drunk. Adam Air Flight disappears over Indonesia, 102 die. Atlantic crossed by youngest sailor, Michael Perham, 14. Australia beat England 5-0 in Ashes, lift World Cup third time running. Anand Jon, designer, indicted for rape. AIIMS’ P Venugopal, and health minister Ramadoss fight on

B

Beyonce seduces Mumbai. Brian Lara, 37, announces retirement from ODIs after West Indies defeat in World Cup. Bachchans are highest tax-paying family with returns of Rs 25 crore. Black Friday releases, finally, to acclaim. Bombs on Samjauta Express kill 68. Britney Spears in rehab shaves head, tries to hang herself. Tony Blair steps down as Britain's PM. Bangladesh cyclone kills 3000. Bob Woolmer, Pak cricket coach, found dead in Kingston. Benazir Bhutto assassinated in Rawalpindi. Burma burns for democracy.

C

Cristina Kirchner becomes first wife in history to succeed husband as Argentinean president. China oil field in Ethiopia attacked, 74 killed. Chiranjeevi’s daughter Srija elopes with Sirish Bharadwaj, asks for police protection from father. Columbia Univ President Lee Bollinger calls guest speaker Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad “a petty and cruel dictator”. India wins ODI series against West Indies and Sri Lanka. Chennai court rejects Novartis patent plea in a landmark cancer drug case, boosts India’s generic drug industry

D

Dhoni becomes captain at 26, leads team to T20 win against Pakistan. Team gets unprecendeted reception in Mumbai. Dumbledore, the beloved Hogwarts Headmaster, is outed from closet by J K Rowling. The Departed, Martin Scorsese’s gritty film on the mafia wins four Oscars. Dow Jones plummets wildly after Chinese market drop. Donot-call service activated, but pesky telemarketers continue. Delhi’s former CM dies on Rajasthan’s killer roads. Delhi model Gitanjali Nagpal found living on the street, rescued.

E

Emergency declared in Pakistan. Emergency declared in Bangladesh, Iajuddin Ahmed steps down. European Commission announces proposals for the European Union to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 and 60 per cent by 2050. Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayyar marry, after years of courtship, in a 15th-century palace in Cotswold, England with lavish receptions in Mumbai and Jodhpur. ET, please call, says Arthur Clarke on his ninetieth birthday.

F

Fake encounter of businessmen leads to arrest of 10 Delhi cops. Forest Whitaker gets Oscar for his turn as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. French government bans smoking in public places. Flamingos killed for meat in Mumbai. French President Jacques Chirac makes a gaffe, says that Iran’s nuclear ability is so dodgy that a weapon would explode over Tehran before Tel Aviv; retracts after furore. Force India is Vijay Mallya’s name for racing team, after he buys Spyker F1 for $109 million. Fidel Castro keeps on going.

G

Gordon Brown is new Brit PM. Gaekwads of Baroda’s pearl necklace sold for $1.7 million. Golfer Gaurav Ghei wins Bejing Open. Greg Chappell resigns as India’s cricket coach. Glasgow airport bombed by Bangalore doctor Kafeel Ahmed; cousin Mohammed Haneef cleared. Arun Gawli pays guests to dress for his daughter’s wedding. G8, India approve Washington Declaration on carbon trading. Gujjars burn Rajasthan to demand ST tag. Ganga is one of the world's 10 dying rivers. GDP in India rises to 9.3%.

H

Hardwar court issues nonbailable warrant to M F Husain for ‘obscene’ Bharat Mata painting. Husain’s works vandalised in Delhi. Hyderabad blasts claims 42, Huji and LeT blamed. Half of Britain’s millionaires are women. Hindalco, headed by Kumarmangalam Birla, buys Novelis for 6 billion dollars. Hitachi crosses the 1 terabyte hard disk capacity. Harry Potter final instalment published. He survives. Hugh Grant arrested for hitting lens man with a can of beans.

I

Indonesia landslides kill 81. iPhone, Apple’s hippest new gizmo, storms market. India’s first school shootout in Gurgaon, boy shot for being a bully. Indian rupee reaches eight-year high against US dollar. India loses Rs 2500 crore in betting on World Cup. India loses to Bangladesh. India has largest number of billionaires in Asia, 36. India, Pakistan exchange nuclear installations lists under 1998 agreement. India marks 150 years of the 1857 Uprising. Iranian President says herbal treatment will be the answer to AIDS. Iraq war death toll touches 11 lakh.

J

Jet and Sahara tie up to form Jetlite. James Laine’s book Shivaji-Hindu King in Islamic India un-banned by court; Shiv Sainiks attack Oxford bookstore thinking it to be the same as Oxford University Press. John Abraham has a year of flops, called Box Office Turkey. J K Rowling announces eighth Harry Potter book, giving details on Hogwarts. Japan records a trade surplus of 4.4 billion in January due to lower oil prices and strong exports. Jayalalithaa becomes the first leader from the South to address a rally in Hindi, at Bareilly in UP.

K

Kausarbi and husband Sohrabuddin were killed and burnt by police, admits Gujarat government. Keith Richards of Rolling Stones says he snorts his dad’s ashes, later says it was a joke. Kingfisher buys Air Deccan. Kerala boat with children capsizes, 22 drown. Santosh George Kulangara is first Indian to book Rs 90 lakh seat on Virgin Galactic for 2008 space trip. K P Singh of DLF, at $35 billion, is world’s richest realtor. Richest Indian crown retained by Lakshmi Mittal ($51 billion). Karnataka put under President’s rule.

L

Lal Masjid storming by Pak military, 160 killed. Doris Lessing wins Nobel for literature. Lina Sinha, a Manhattanite, gets 14 years' for sexual relations with a 13-year-old student. Loganathan, a prof at Virginia Tech, is shot by a gunman; Minal Panchal, a Mumbai girl, also dies. Lakshmana Kailash K spends 50 days in jail for being wrongly accused of posting obscene Shivaji pictures on the net. London mayor Ken Livingstone tells Mumbai planners to put their money in mass transport. Jay Leno badly hit by writers’ strike.

M

Maoists kill 55 cops in Chhatisgarh. Monu Mittal gets death for whistleblower Manjunath’s murder. Madrid 2004 train bombing trial opens. Mattel recalls millions of ‘toxic lead’ toys. Muttiah Muralidharan becomes highest wicket taker in Test matches with 709 wickets. Mayawati bans Aaja Nachle for caste slur against mochis. Malaysian Indians complain of ethnic violence, petition India. Narendra Modi is Gujarat chief minister for the third time.

N

New 7 wonders declared, India votes in the Taj. Nandigram shakes Kolkata’s conscience after CPM cadres kill 14 villagers resisting land sale. Narayana Murthy courts controversy by not playing national anthem before foreign guests. Nariman Point flat sells for record Rs 97,842 per sq ft. Number mobility across mobile service providers gives consumers greater choice. Nilofer Bakhtiar, Pak minister, gets fatwa for hugging French paraglider. Nawaz Sharif returns. NCERT to ban ‘fail’ word.

O

Osama Bin Laden turns 50 on March 11; a 51-year-old UK granny weds Osama’s son. Oldest living person in the world is Japan’s Yone Minagawa at 114 years. Orissa churches attacked at Christmas on conversion charge. Obama and Hillary Clinton continue to slug it out for President; former New York mayor Rudy Giulhany is strong Republican contender. Om Shanti Om released, becomes biggest grosser in Hindi cinema history, raking in Rs 94 crore and counting. Rival film Saawariya’s director christened Sanjay Neela Bhansali for shooting through blue filter. Film is a damp squib.

P

Pooja Chauhan, 22, walks through Rajkot in her underwear to protest in-law abuse for delivering girl.Padma Lakshmi and Rushdie split, he hooks up with Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher. Parkash Singh Badal is Punjab CM. Pratibha Patil is first woman President of India. Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar fails dope test, out of World Cup. Pavarotti dies. Priyanka Todi marries Rizwan, Rizwan found dead. Prakash Karat hogs news with anti-US nuclear deal stand. Pravin Mahajan gets life for killing brother Pramod. PlayStation comes to India.

Q

Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Italian Bofors accused, walks free from Argentinean jail. Queen Elizabeth II, 81, reaches new milestone as the longest-living British monarch; overtakes record set by great-great grandmother Queen Victoria. Sky's royal correspondent Sarah Hughes says, “For her, retirement is not an option.” She celebrates Christmas on YouTube. The Queen wins Helen Mirren an Oscar for Best Actress. More importantly, the realtime Queen is pleased and invites her to tea.

R

Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer for third time in French Open. Renault’s Logan comes to India. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s wife gets $9 billion, the largest-ever alimony settlement. Ram Sethu is not man-made, no proof that Ramayana events took place, says government affidavit. M Karunanidhi calls Ram a drunkard. Richard Gere issued warrant for kissing Shilpa Shetty in public. Rahul Dravid quits as captain. Ribbed-vibrating condoms banned by BJP in MP. Rahul Gandhi named AICC general secretary.

S

Sidney Sheldon dies. Shakira raises temperature in Mumbai. Sunita Williams spends a record 195 days in space. Sanjay Dutt gets six years' for owning AK-56. SBI is highest corporate tax payer. Shilpa Shetty cries racism in UK reality show, but carries away Rs 3 crore prize. SEZ becomes most hated word in village India. Nicholas Sarkozy is French prez. Sandip Soparrkar becomes first single male to adopt in Mumbai. Sachin is out in the 90s, for the seventh time in 5 months. Six-pack in demand.

T

Teri chief R K Pachauri’s panel on climate change and Al Gore win Nobel Peace Prize. Tax’s highest payer is Akshay Kumar, Rs 26 crore. Taslima attacked in Hyderabad. Thirtythree pairs of twins found in Bamrauli, a UP village. Telgi convicted in stamp scam. Tata Steel buys Corus for $ 6.7 billion. Trial for Mumbai 7/11 blasts begins, deferred when accused say they don’t trust judiciary.

U

UP stormed by Mayawati and her winning Dalit-Brahmin electoral axis. US House of Representatives gets first woman speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Uma Khurana, Delhi school teacher, framed by spurious sting operation. Uttarakhand, new name of Uttaranchal, won by BJP. Uphaar cinema’s owners, the Ansals, found guilty. Ulcra land ceiling act repealed in Maharashtra, builders cheer, Uddhav Thackeray protests.

V

Vodafone buys 67 % stake in Hutch Essar for $11.1 billion. Vengsarkar spats with the BCCI after latter bans him from writing columns which earn him Rs 40 lakh a year. Vishy Anand wins in Mexico, is world champion for first time in his career. Victoria Beckham and the Spice Girls reuinte to empty stadium in Canada. Vick’s husband David Beckham leaves Real Madrid for LA Galaxy on a $250 million contract. Vladimir Putin named Time’s Person of the Year.

W

World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz resigns on charges of favouring his girlfriend—he helped her get a whopping $60,000 raise. Wadias announce setting up of 40 malls in India. West Bengal police admits its men raped two women in Nandigram. World Bank permits construction of Baghliar dam in Kashmir. WMD still not found in Iraq. West Bengal government asks Taslima to leave Kolkata. Narendra Modi offers her asylum in Gujarat.

X

XP’s successor Windows Vista launch marred by security glitches. To counter this, X Leopard, a new operating system, is launched by Apple for its Macs. X Men—The Last Stand, began the season of trilogies from Hollywood and was followed by Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End, The Bourne Ultimatum and Spiderman 3. X-rated Santa bot (or icon) from Microsoft’s Live Messenger leaves firm red-faced with its risque conversation.

Y

Y K Sabharwal, former chief justice, accused of aiding his son’s moneylaundering business. Yuvraj-Deepika-Dhoni love affair gives television enough grist for days on end. Former Russian President Boris Yelstin dead. Yakub Memon gets death for 1993 Mumbai blasts, passionately protests his innocence. Three other Memons get life. Total of 100 convicted in country’s longestrunning trial. Yasuo Fukuda, a moderate, replaces Shinzo Abe as Japan’s prime minister.

Z

Zee’s Subhash Chandra launches parallel cricket team ICL on Rs 100 crore fund. Kapil Dev is named executive chairman of the board, Lara, Chris Cairns play in inaugural Twenty-20 Championship; BCCI strikes back in court and with cash incentives. Zune launched by Microsoft as its answer to Apple’s iPod fails to take off. Zaheera of the Best Bakery case, released; disappears, plays no role in Gujarat polls.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Fact Box - 5 (VIKRAM PANDIT)


Few days back, when i was doing my routine newspaper scanning, i came across a news which caught my attention. The news was about Citibank top job. Let me make it clear, Actually the news was about the next CEO of CITI BANK and the 2 people who were vying for the post were from two different countries. The countries are India and its archrival Pakistan. But its not a cricket game, neither hockey or football for that matter. But still i had a sense of patriotism and wanted to see Pandit as a winner. Not only he is an India but also he has wide and relevant experience for this job. His competitor, Mr. Shaukat Aziz (former Paki PM) surely has versatile experience but i feel he is more suitable for diplomatic and country specific jobs instead of cut throat competitive corporate sector jobs.
And Todat i saw that my favourite Mr. Pandit is the new CEO of CITI BANK global. Welcome Mr. Pandit to the new job. Its true that you are promoted at the tough time but i hope you would serve me better ( I have a bank Account in CITI BANK :D ). So the Fact Box series no. 5 is welcome gesture for Mr. Pandit from me...

Vital Stattistics|
Married Swathi Sathaye on August 2, ’86 | Two children, Rahul (15) and Maya (13) | Lives in a plush 10-room apartment in New York overlooking Central Park. Bought it earlier this year for $17.5 million | Loves photography, cooks occasionally with his wife, is a devotee of Gajanan Maharaj
BORN | January 14, 1957, at Dhantoli, Nagpur
SCHOOLS ATTENDED | Parsi Youth Assembly, Dadar, Mumbai | Baroda High School, Baroda | Mombassa, Kenya | Bishop Cotton, Nagpur | Johan Bowne, US
UNIVERSITY | MS, Electrical Engineering; PhD, Finance, both from Columbia University
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS | Joined Morgan Stanley in 1983 as an associate and worked there for two decades in various capacities: President and COO, institutional securities & investment banking group (2000-2005); MD and head of worldwide institutional equities (1994-2000); MD and head of US equity syndicate (1990-1994) | Left Morgan Stanley in March 2005 to start Old Lane, a hedge fund, which was bought by Citigroup in 2007 for $800 million
AT THE TOP | CEO, Citigroup, which has over 3 lakh employees, operates in more than 100 countries and has assets worth $2 trillion. It ranks 8 on Fortune’s list of the biggest companies in the world. PepsiCo, headed by another Indian, Indra Nooyi, ranks 63rd; Vodafone with Arun Sarin at the helm is No 95

Friday, December 07, 2007

Fact Box - 4 (SHIELA DIKSHIT)


Vital statistics
Born March 31, 1938, in Kapurthala, Punjab

Wife of the late Mr. Vinod Dikshit, a widely respected member of Indian Administrative Service, she has two children

Education
Received her MA in history from Miranda House, University of Delhi, after schooling at Convent of Jesus and Mary

Career highlights
Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi

Chief minister (1998–present)
Government of India

Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs (1986–89)
Minister of state in prime minister’s office (1986–89)
Member of Lower House of Parliament, representing Kannauj (1984–89)
Fast facts
Serves as secretary of Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, which awards Indira Gandhi Prize for efforts in international peace

Launched Stree Shakti in Delhi, a program which aims to empower women by providing employment training, financial aid, and access to health care and medicine

Represented India on UN Commission on Status of Women (1984–89)

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Fact Box - 3 (RAJIV SINGH)


Vital statistics
Born May 8, 1959, in New Delhi

Married with two children

Education
Graduated in 1980 with degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Career highlights
DLF

Vice chairman (1993–present)
Director (1984–92)

Monday, December 03, 2007

the way to gooooo

When there is a will, there is a way...
The old adage stands true to the Ankur's story. This guy graduated from DCE and had worked with E-valueserve with an aim to get into the one of the elite or ivyleague college of repute for higher studies. Now when he has made it to one of the greatest school of world LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science), its the money crunch which is occluding the path of his dream. But here comes the indomitable spirit of Ankur, as he decided to use pretty rare path to gather the tuition fees he need to submit before joining the school in july 2008. He chooses to write a short story a day and consequent post of that on his blog. He hopes that netizens like me and you would open his blog would read his story and would click on the advertisements, these ads in turn would fetch some money to him. Quite innovative way to fund his study.
I request all my readers to please go to his blog and read the short story and if you like the same dont forget to click on the ads. You can sure contribute for his education by virtually not paying a single penny.