What Women Think During Their First Pregnancy

The study found that women who tend to deny negative experiences in early childhood relationships expected to experience a relationship with their future children characterized by less warmth compared to other women who participated in the study.


The research, which was conducted by Ora Gazit under the direction of Dr. Miri Scharf, examined 160 Jewish women in the last trimester of their first pregnancy who live with their husband or partner. The researchers examined the expectations, thoughts and emotions of the pregnant women regarding themselves as future mothers and their future relationships with their babies -- based on two approaches related to identity building.

The first focuses on the way people perceive their early childhood relationship with their parents and how this is reflected in their thoughts, perceptions and behavior during their lives. The second focuses on existing differences between people whose motivation is derived from an aspiration for success and those who are motivated by an aspiration to avoid failure.

The results of the study revealed that women whose early childhood relationships with their parents were characterized by rejection and unresolved conflicts, expected to experience a high measure of separation anxiety, thought their child would be more demanding of them and thought they would set a lot boundaries, compared to other women in the study.

Among women who described their early childhood relationships with their parents as being characterized by rejection but who had difficulty recalling many of the events representative of this relationship, the study found a majority had positive thoughts about their impending motherhood and towards their unborn child. However, in comparison to the remainder of the women in the study, they expected to develop a less warm and close relationship with their baby.

The women who had a balanced view of their early relationship with their parents had the most optimal expectations towards their impending motherhood. They expected to feel a low level of separation anxiety from their child, thought childrearing would be easy and that their relationship would be characterized by warmth.

In addition, the study found that women who were characterized by wanting to advance and reach set goals were positive and more optimistic, in comparison to women who were characterized by abstention and concern with self-defense, security and responsibility. According to the researchers, women in the first group thought they would be more fulfilled in parenthood, saw themselves and their child in a more positive light, thought they would be more productive and warm as mothers and expected to have good communication with their child.

"The results of the research show that there is great importance in evaluating thoughts, perceptions and feelings about parental identity during pregnancy. Such an evaluation will enable early identification of women who are concerned they will have difficulty contending with parental roles and offer them tools that will help them adapt better to the transition to motherhood," summarized the researchers.

Feminism And Romance Go Hand In Hand

It is generally perceived that feminism and romance are in direct conflict. Rudman and Phelan’s work challenges this perception. They carried out both a laboratory survey of 242 American undergraduates and an online survey including 289 older adults, more likely to have had longer relationships and greater life experience.

They looked at men’s and women’s perception of their own feminism and its link to relationship health, measured by a combination of overall relationship quality, agreement about gender equality, relationship stability and sexual satisfaction.

They found that having a feminist partner was linked to healthier heterosexual relationships for women. Men with feminist partners also reported both more stable relationships and greater sexual satisfaction. According to these results, feminism does not predict poor romantic relationships, in fact quite the opposite.

The authors also tested the validity of feminist stereotypical beliefs amongst their two samples, based on the hypothesis that if feminist stereotypes are accurate, then feminist women should be more likely to report themselves as being single, lesbian, or sexually unattractive, compared with non-feminist women.

Rudman and Phelan found no support for this hypothesis amongst their study participants. In fact, feminist women were more likely to be in a heterosexual romantic relationship than non-feminist women. The authors conclude that feminist stereotypes appear to be inaccurate, and therefore their unfavorable implications for relationships are also likely to be unfounded.

Sex In The Morning Or In The Evening !

In the animal kingdom, males more often than females can increase their reproductive success by being promiscuous. This in turn can result in males imposing high numbers of copulation attempts and sexual harassment on females.

In the promiscuous feral chicken, males initiate more than 90 per cents of all copulation attempts; most of them in the evening after hens have laid their eggs and are most fertile. In female-dominated groups hens are also interested in sex in evenings. However, as shown in a new study published in American Naturalist, in male-dominated groups hens rather initiate sex in mornings.

‘Sexual harassment in evenings in male-dominated groups may just be too much for the hens’, says Hanne Løvlie from Stockholm University, one of the researchers of the study. ‘Hens were exposed to more intense sexual harassment in male-dominated group. By initiating sex in mornings when the cockerels are less amorous and the free-ranging chickens also are more spread out foraging, hens may avoid the intense sexual harassment in evenings.’

The study shows that changes in the intensity of sexual harassment trigger a plasticity in the hens’ sexual behaviour not before shown. A plasticity that in turn may enable hens to mate without suffering sexual harassment.

‘The sexes therefore not only fall out on how much sex they want, but also when at day to have it’

Why Do People Have Sex?

After conducting one of the most comprehensive studies on why people have sex, psychology researchers David Buss and Cindy Meston uncovered 237 motivations, which appear in the August issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior.


People's motivations ranged from the mundane ("I was bored") to the spiritual ("I wanted to feel closer to God") and from the altruistic ("I wanted the person to feel good about himself/herself") to the manipulative ("I wanted to get a promotion").

Some said they had sex to feel powerful, others to debase themselves. Some wanted to impress their friends, others to harm their enemies ("I wanted to break up a rival's relationship").

Buss and Meston conducted two studies. In the first, they asked more than 400 men and women to identify reasons people have sex. In the second, the researchers asked more than 1,500 undergraduate students about their experiences and attitudes.

The Texas psychologists identified four major factors and 13 sub-factors for why people have sex:

• Physical reasons such as to reduce stress ("It seemed like good exercise"), feel pleasure ("It's exciting"), improve or expand experiences ("I was curious about sex"), and the physical desirability of their partner ("The person was a good dancer").
• Goal-based reasons, including utilitarian or practical considerations ("I wanted to have a baby"), social status ("I wanted to be popular") and revenge ("I wanted to give someone else a sexually transmitted disease").
• Emotional reasons such as love and commitment ("I wanted to feel connected") and expression ("I wanted to say 'thank you'").
• Insecurity-based reasons, including self-esteem ("I wanted the attention"), a feeling of duty or pressure ("My partner kept insisting") and to guard a mate ("I wanted to keep my partner from straying").

"Why people have sex is extremely important, but rarely studied," Buss said. "Surprisingly, many scientists assume the answer is obvious, but people have different reasons for having sex, some of which are rather complex."

Sex Education Linked To Delayed Teen Intercourse

Male teens who received sex education in school were 71 percent less likely — and similarly educated female teens were 59 percent less likely — to have sexual intercourse before age 15. Males who attended school, meanwhile, were 2.77 times more likely to rely upon birth control the first time they had intercourse if they had been in sex-education classes.

“Sex education seems to be working,” said study lead author Trisha Mueller, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It seems to be especially effective for populations that are usually at high risk.”

The researchers found that sex education reduced by 91 percent the risk that African-American females in school would have sex before age 15. In general, however, sex education appeared to have no effect on whether female teens used birth control.

According to Mueller, earlier large-scale research into the effectiveness of sex education relied on data from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Those studies suggested that sex education was not very effective at delaying sex, she said.

The new study looked at a sample of 2,019 teenagers ages 15 to 19 years, who responded to a survey during a 2002 national study.

The researchers analyzed the possible effects that sex education had on the sex lives of teens and adjusted the results to account for the effects of factors like the wealth of their families.

The study did not explore the hottest debate in sex education: whether classes should teach about contraception or focus entirely on abstinence. Students received sex education if they had either or both types of instruction, according to the study.

While the study suggests a link between sex education and sexual behavior, researchers did not design it to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between the two definitively.

Claire Brindis, interim director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California at San Francisco, said sex education remains important because kids still harbor “mythology” about sex. “Some still believe you can’t get pregnant if you’re standing up or doing it for the first time or if your boyfriend is drinking a lot of Mountain Dew.

“A lot of sex education is about the plumbing — teaching them about anatomy and physiology, what a condom looks like,” Brindis said. “What they really need help on is: ‘I’m in the back seat or I’m at a party, and there aren’t adults around and there’s pressure to do more than make out.’ They need help with ‘What do I do in that setting?’”

About One-quarter Of Women With HIV Want To Become Pregnant

A woman’s age at the time she learns of her HIV status appears to influence this decision. Women in an Ohio State University study who learned of their HIV infection when they were under age 30 were almost four times more likely to say they wanted to become pregnant than were women who were over 30 when they learned they had HIV.

Researchers say the findings point to a need for clinicians to be aware that women with HIV might be struggling with decisions about motherhood – a relatively new phenomenon accompanying the increase in HIV-positive women of childbearing age and the longer survival rates among patients who receive treatment.

“We shouldn’t assume that women aren’t going to become pregnant or don’t want to become pregnant now that they have HIV. That’s an erroneous assumption,” said study co-author Julianne Serovich, professor and chair of human development and family science at Ohio State. “Clinicians should be routinely discussing pregnancy with HIV-positive women of childbearing age.”

In 2005, 29.5 percent of all new reported HIV infections and 27 percent of new AIDS cases in the United States were among women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty years earlier, only 5 percent of new AIDS cases were reported in women. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

The researchers collected questionnaires about pregnancy decisions from 74 women who were participants in a larger, long-term study led by Serovich that explored women’s HIV disclosure decisions and mental health. This particular line of research emerged from interviewers’ observations that participants were talking about pregnancy and, in some cases, becoming pregnant. Simultaneously, health care professionals were sharing stories with researchers about the women’s success in avoiding transmission of the HIV virus to their babies.

“It became obvious that this is a disease that is manageable for women,” said lead study* author Shonda Craft, who completed the research while she was a doctoral candidate at Ohio State.

“If a woman is 19 years old and diagnosed with HIV, she can still assume she has her whole life ahead of her. Deciding whether to have a family is part of the development process for young women, including these young women,” said Craft, now an assistant professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota. “This study is about living with a chronic disease, and not just the physiological piece of that, but also the psychological and sociological factors, as well.”

Women in the study were asked to quantify how influential several factors were on their decision about whether or not to become pregnant after their HIV diagnosis.

Aside from external influences, age emerged as a major factor in the choice. Nearly 40 percent of women age 30 and younger chose to become pregnant while 11 percent of the women over 30 opted for pregnancy.

The most influential external factors on women’s choices against pregnancy, regardless of age, were fear of transmitting HIV to a child or other concerns about preserving their own health. Conversely, a powerful personal desire to have children was associated with a woman’s choice to become pregnant.

Within the women’s social network, medical personnel had the strongest influence on their decisions about pregnancy – either for or against having a baby.

Though there are no guarantees of safely conceiving and delivering a healthy baby for women with HIV, the medical community has found ways to reduce health risks for both mother and child, said Michael Brady, professor and chair of pediatrics at Ohio State and a co-investigator on the study’s funding grant. Women who are HIV-positive should receive antiretroviral medications throughout their pregnancy and during labor, and their newborns should receive antiretroviral medication for the first six weeks of life. Delivery by Caesarean section also can reduce risk of transmission of the virus to the infant, but should be performed if required for the mother’s health or if the mother’s level of virus in the blood is high. With optimal care, the risk of transmission can be as low as 1 percent, Brady said.

There is also a risk associated with conception of the child, Brady noted. Though transmission of HIV from an infected woman to an uninfected male partner is not universal during unprotected sex, it can happen. Even if both partners are already infected with HIV, an infected male partner might transmit a new strain of HIV to his infected female partner, which can cause problems for the mother and fetus as well.

“We don’t understand all of the factors that affect the risk of transmitting HIV with an individual sex act. Taking medications and lowering the viral load reduces but doesn’t eliminate the risk. Some people interested in having a child may be willing to accept this risk. But there is a risk,” Brady said.

One finding of the study surprised the researchers. Women who had the most negative self-image associated with their HIV status were also the most likely to want to become pregnant.

“We would have predicted that the lower the stigma, the more likely women would choose to become pregnant. We saw the exact opposite – that those with high stigma were making more choices in favor of pregnancy,” Serovich said.

For some women who feel highly stigmatized by their disease, the rewards of pregnancy might offer therapeutic benefits, the researchers suggest.

“When you’re pregnant, you get lots of attention, people come up to you and touch your belly. You get a shower, people do things for you. There are certainly a lot of very positive repercussions of pregnancy that may help women feel better,” Serovich said.

Though much of Serovich’s earlier research focused on HIV-positive men, she sees a need for a deeper examination of issues facing women who are infected.

“There hasn’t been a lot of work done in this area and as women live longer and stay healthier, we need to know even more,” she said. “What is clear is that women can live with this and have many options.”

*The study is published in a recent issue of the journal AIDS and Behavior. Additional co-authors were Robin Delaney of human development and family science and Dianne Bautista of statistics, both at Ohio State. This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

16 crushed to death by train in Surat

SURAT: At least 16 people, including three women and two children, were crushed to death by a train in Udhna town of Gujarat's Surat district, railway officials said.



The accident occurred at South Kankrakhadi in Udhna, about three kilometres from Surat, at about 11 pm on Wednesday. Bodies of victims were spotted besides the track by a driver of another train. Those dead were reportedly labourers and their family members, who had come to Udhana in the Taptiganga Express that runs from Varanasi to Surat, officials said.

After getting off the train at Udhana station, the people were walking on the railway track when they were run over by a train.

The driver of train 'Flying Rani', which runs between Surat and Mumbai, immediately informed the authorities of the incident, Railway Police Inspector H M Patel said. Investigations were on to determine the circumstances under which the accident took place, he added.

Horoscope 28 Feb

Gemini

It is certainly necessary to trust people, however it is not necessary to undertake serious actions, not having taken care about your rear. Nobody is going to deceive you, but everything may happen.

Cancer

Today you will be the owner of rather high creative potential, of that would be silly not to take advantage. However it is necessary to remember that this work will cost you a great strain.

Leo

Today you without any pangs of conscience can go with the stream. Whichever current would catch you up (it is recommended to choose the warm one), it will bring you there, where it is necessary in any case.

Virgo

Today the people around you will be marvelously loyal in relation to your actions and attentive to your words. Take advantage of this successful moment.

Libra

Today getting up will be the most hard work for you. The vain attempts to suppress yawning will irritate you and amuse environmental till the evenings. Other problems are not expected.

Scorpio

Now is the improper moment to discuss the feelings with the not too interested man. It is better to stay alone.

Sagittarius

Today everything will be wrong. Whom you would like to show attention, will push you away and, on the contrary, wishing to be in loneliness, you will appear in an environment of noisy crowd of the people, sticking to you.

Capricorn

Today you will be the invaluable assistant for those people, who cannot understand the situation. You will be able to take any decisions for others without effort, though as to your personal businesses, you can appear as helpless as others are.

Aquarius

Today you need to know precisely, who should be ignored, and when it is necessary to remove yourself from situation occurring. The accuracy will help you to avoid the large conflict, probability of which will be rather great.

Pisces

Today you can act in a role of the great temper with success. It is unimportant what, actually, becomes a subject of your interest, - you will achieve the desirable.

Satisfied With Yourself !

I always thought what i want in life.Off course a dream job,dream car,sea facing house and to be ahead of times.We all are efficient enough to achieve this if we really want it.But then why we are still restless and asking for more.It feels like we are racing for something which we dont know.Recently a thought clinched me."I want to be happy".Thats what makes me satisfied and elated at the end of the day.Just think of the memorable times of your life.All the fantastic memories of being with friends and family will start revolving our mind.I know some of us will add some more things(buying the first bike,car,house,ipod etc) to the list.But do you think these things give consistent happiness to you.They are materialistic entities and their shine slowly but surely gets faded along with time and gets eroded.But the memorable time spent with near and dear ones keeps us happy always.We just have to remember them.Right !

So does happiness is just limited to enjoying with friends and family.I think there is one more entity which we always avoid but is the sure key to happiness.Its our innerself.I always love to talk with myself which gives me immense satisfication.In this fast world we have really little time left after spending it for our job,better half,family and friends.But the true friend lies within us.It always tell us the truth and remind us to do good things in life.It understands us the best and gives us the strength to cope in difficult times.It is always there for us but i m afraid the reverse is not true.We should love ourself and then can only love others.Believe me, you will live in a better and satisfied world once you know yourself.So talk to yourself today and let the surprise satisfication take you to a different and colourfull world where everyone is happy and true to himself !

Understand Her...

We always want the best in our life. Be it be a pair of jeans or our girl friend. I would like to focus on later this time. So what actually we need in a girl. She should be sweet, cute and off course in the best of shape. She should be understanding and at the same time could be taken for granted. She should be this, should be that and blah..blah..blah...


But have we ever thought her as a different individual who has got her own feelings and emotions. Have we ever understood her nature and her likings. Have we ever tried to imagine what she wants from us.Instead,we often end up burdening our wishes and likings on her totally ignoring her views.Off course we are men and why should we think about that. Right...? Absolutely Wrong!

Understand your girl, listen to her heart and you will live in a better life and world. Always ask her what she thinks about your decisions and take suggestions. Things always come out better when we discuss and mutual decisions are brought into frame. Girls are very delicate and emotional human beings. Do really take care of them. Always be at their side in decisions and make them believe that we are always there for them. Life is incomplete without them and lets face it even we are incomplete without them. Love them with a pure heart and make life great.

Horoscope 20 Feb

Aries
Someone uses you. If it arranges you, continue in the same spirit, but if you are not too glad to this, today is just that day, when you can state to exploiter everything what you think with the minimal losses for yourself.

Taurus
If you are asked a question, it does not follow from this that you are obliged on to answer it. Especially at the absence of your lawyer. Protect you own interests more zealously.

Gemini
Today you will be extremely nervous, whether there will be sufficient reason for this purpose or not. The risk fall out with everyone, who will be near you, will be very great? Be careful.

Cancer
Today stars will be favorable to that one, who can act resolutely, managing not to lose the hope for best. Try, it must turn out.

Leo
You have created some idealized picture in your imagination, which should reflect the real essence of your partner, but obviously does not cope with this task. Open your eyes.

Virgo
Probably, the changes are unnecessary to you, but they would occur anyway. Today you may expect one of them.

Libra
Today you will have to make concessions, someone will demand it in such form, as if you have run into debt to this man. It will be better to concede, for it will be too hard to explain him why you don't want to do it...

Scorpio
You can easily forget everything that you have planned for today. The situation will develop in different way, but it does not mean, that this day would be bad. On the contrary, you will remember it with pleasure.

Sagittarius
Changes are very pleasant thing, certainly, if they are to best. However, today in your life there will happen only such ones.

Capricorn
Today something important and, probably, for a long time expected by you will happen just in that moment, when you will be far off. Try not to overshadow the pleasure of others by badly hidden disappointment.

Aquarius
Support cleanliness and order in public places, do not litter, do not smoke, and do not drink strong alcohol. Do not forget to make morning exercises. Also try to keep calmness, it will become necessary to you.

Pisces
Today you will miss your friends, whether you will be in loneliness or in the noisy company. Probably, it is better to disturb with a call those people whom you really wish to see?

India set to see highest salary increase this year

NEW DELHI: It's good time for salaried persons in the country. With economic growth in the range of 8-9%, India is likely to enjoy the highest salary hike in the world, of around 15.2% in 2008 as against 15.1% in the previous year, revealed a survey conducted by global human resource service firm Hewitt Associates on Tuesday.

With double-digit growth in the service sector, there is strong demand for talent in the country, said Sandeep Chaudhary, leader of Hewitt's Rewards Consulting practice. ‘‘Struggle for finding talent to sustain the high growth is growing in the country," he said.

The high economic growth rate has provided employees great career opportunities. Therefore, employers are using compensation as a strategic lever in attracting, retaining and motivating the talent pool.

However, over a period of time, the rate of annual increase in salary might come down and stabilize in a range of 9-10% by 2012 as against the present level of 15%, according to the survey. Choudhary said hike in the entry-level salary in the next four years would lead to stabilization of the annual increase at a lower level.

In 2008, employees in China are likely to get an average hike of 8.7%, in Philippines 8.4%, in Korea 6.7% and in Singapore 5%. Salary hike in India was 15.1% in 2007, 14.4% in 2006, 14.1% in 2005, 13.7% in 2004, 11.5% in 2003 and 9.7% in 2002. As inflation in the last six years, except in 2006 and 2007, remained in the range of 3% to 4%, the double digit salary hike resulted into substantial increase in the purchasing power of Indian employees. In 2006 and 2007, inflation hovered around 6%.

Domestic companies gave higher salary jump at 15.5% in 2007 as against 14.7% by MNCs. In 2008 also, domestic companies will give beter increment at 15.5% as against 14.9% by foreign companies. In 2008, sectors like real estate, energy, retail, telecom, banking/finance and accounting/consulting/legal are likely to receive maximum salary jump. Real estate will witness the maximum hike at 25% in 2008 as against 25.2% in 2007. Telecom is likely to get an average salary hike of 17.6% as against 17.2% in 2007.

With growing competition, attrition has also gone up. According to the suvey, insurance sector has reported the highest attrition rate at 35.2%, followed by IT-enabled services at 28.9% and hospitality and restaurant industry at 27.1%.

The study says use of variable pay as a strategic lever continues to be an important means of retaining talent.

Reliance Power plans bonus share issue for shareholders

MUMBAI: Reliance Power Ltd plans to issue bonus shares to all equity holders other than the founders, hoping to cheer retail investors after the firm's shares tumbled following a record $3 billion IPO.

Its board is scheduled to meet on February 24 to consider issuing bonus shares and/or other measures which it said would effectively reduce the cost of the company's shares.

"This will include a proposal for issuing free bonus shares to all categories of shareholders excluding the promoter group, thereby protecting investors from even short-term losses on their shareholdings," it said. Reliance Power's shares, which listed on the stock exchange on February 11, had fallen by a quarter but recovered to close 15 percent below the IPO price of 450 rupees a share on Friday, helped by three-day market rally which saw the benchmark index climb 9 percent.

The slump in Reliance Power, a unit of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group, infuriated investors, many of whom complained they were lured to invest in the company because of promises from the firm, which has no operating power plants and is unlikely to report strong profits for five years.

Reliance's supporters say the Ambani family has a strong track record of executing projects on schedule and delivering strong returns to investors, attracting millions of investors to bid for its shares offered in India's biggest IPO ever.

The company said its shares were hit by weak market sentiment and blamed rivals, who were not identified, for hammering shares of companies in the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. It also reminded investors that there were risks attached to equity investments.

"Equity shares, by their very nature, are risk-bearing instruments and there is no obligation on behalf of any issuer to insure investors against possible losses," it said. However, the company's board would consider a bonus issue and other steps as the group had a "fundamental and over-riding philosophy of creating value for genuine long term investors".

The fall in Reliance Power's shares followed market turbulence that knocked out a few IPOs, including the $1.6 billion issue from Emaar MGF Land, the Indian unit of Dubai's Emaar Properties. Reliance Communications, another Anil Ambani firm, is planning an IPO for its telecom towers unit, Reliance Infratel Ltd, which media reports and bankers say aims to raise $1-1.5 billion.

Founded by Dhirubhai Ambani, the Reliance companies were divided between the late Ambani's sons in 2005. Anil has interests in telecoms, financials, media and power while elder brother Mukesh controls India's top listed firm, oil and petrochemicals giant Reliance Industries Ltd.

Polling begins in Pak

NEW DELHI: Amid fears of large-scale violence, shrill political statements, spiralling food inflation and strong demands for a change in the country’s leadership, voting began in Pakistan on Monday.

The government has deployed 500,000 troops for the vote and the aftermath, including 81,000 soldiers -- one for every 1,000 members of the 81-million-strong electorate.

The parliamentary polls come after a year of political turmoil and bloodshed in the nuclear-armed Islamic republic, capped by the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto in a suicide attack in December.

On Sunday, which was a peaceful day, President Pervez Musharraf vowed to go ahead with the elections despite two suicide attacks on Saturday that left some 50 people dead and 100 injured, while PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari warned that Pakistan could break up if the polls were rigged.

"Any effort to derail the democratic process or the holding of elections will be foiled," Musharraf told a team of international observers here.

At the same time, he expressed doubt whether his so-called "King’s Party" or the Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid) would be able to form a government even if it won a majority.

He was speaking to cricketer-turned-politican Imran Khan’s ex-wife Jemima Khan, who is writing for a UK paper, and Musharraf agreed with her when she said, "It would be the saddest day for Pakistan if Benazir’s crooked widower is in power by Monday".

Zardari, who has become the face of PPP since Benazir’s killing, fired his strongest warning to the establishment, saying the party will take to the streets if election results were manipulated in favour of PML(Q).

While election commission officials on Sunday repeated Musharraf’s claim that the polls would be "free and fair", the man on the street is a bit sceptical. Though a large number of people, particularly in the rural areas and small towns, are unhappy with the current regime, commentators here are not sure if people will turn out to vote in large numbers. "People are scared," says Asma Jehangir, lawyer and pro-democracy activist.

But, not everyone is so sceptical about the polls because the voting percentage has always been very low in Pakistan. It was only 41 per cent in 2002.

Horoscope 18th Feb

Aries
The influence of the Moon, probably, has forced you to be running around last time. Now you, at last, can sit quietly. Today nothing would happen, and even if it would happen, your active participation wouldn't be required.

Taurus
Overcoming a stripe of the obstacles, try not to work by force, but to use your mind. Otherwise your chances of successful overcoming of a distance would be near to zero.

Gemini
If someone accuses you in something, it is a serious occasion to reflect. Especially if the accusations are completely deprived of any basis.

Cancer
Today you can permit yourself to change the decision continually, unscrupulously to let down people having imprudence to rely on you etc. etc. Charm of your smile would expiate the weight of any fault.

Leo
Try to change something. Not strongly, only slightly. Step back a little and look what has turned out. May be it will is please you.

Virgo
Today it costs to be kind and to give away dazzling smiles to the right and on the left. Try, may be it will turn out.

Libra
Avoid spontaneous actions, they will bring to you nothing but troubles. It would be better to be considered irresolute, than silly.

Scorpio
Today your main feeling will be the boredom. To cope with it will hardly be possible, so try to find somebody in the same mood. Together you will have a tedious time with greater pleasure.

Sagittarius
You today will be in very good form. People around you will wait impatiently for your following step. You may act to the fullest, today you will cope with any problem.

Capricorn
Do not spend the forces for something that seems senseless. It is unimportant what the man, who asked you to do this work, will tell you about it. Your time is more expensive than his foolish ideas.

Aquarius
Do not linger over today, trying something to complete, it will be useless. Better come home earlier and take out your family to the theatre, cinema or simply to go for a walk.

Pisces
Today, concluding any bargain, you have quite a good chance to win a little bit more, than is stipulated by conditions. It is necessary to be cold-blooded as much as it is possible.

Is your love true? Your phone knows

Valentines Day in South Korea means chocolates, romantic dinners and a high-tech mobile phone device that can secretly check the passion in the voice of a lover.
The “Love Detector” service from mobile operator KTF uses technology that is supposed to analyse voice patterns to see if a lover is speaking honestly and with affection.

“We created this service because we thought people would want to know what others were feeling about them,” said Ahn Hee-jung, a KTF official.

Users who speak by pointing their mobile phones at themselves for video conferences can see a “love meter” bar on the screen of their handset during a conversation.

They later receive an analysis of the conversation delivered through text message that breaks down the amount of affection, surprise, concentration and honesty of the other speaker.

The service costs subscribers a flat fee of 1,500 won ($1.59) a month for unlimited use or can be accessed at 300 won for each call, KTF said.

“The caller is paying the money, so the information is provided only to him or her,” said Ahn.

The Six Secrets of Attaining Romance

Men and women are positioned against one another in the battle for more fulfilling relationships; today they are being urged to consider that romantically they are setting themselves up for failure. By holding unrealistic expectations and believing fabrications told to them by pop culture, men and women are paralyzed in their pursuit for romance. At Authentic Messages, a message in a bottle company, we are continually searching for new ways to mobilize people towards a more romantic life.

Women are deceived by the unattainable dream of the romantic man (soon she comes to believe that every man is romantic except the man in her life…despite the fact that all her female friends are experiencing the same dilemma); men are overwhelmed because they bear sole responsibility for the romantic shape of their relationship and they are immobilized by this burden. Unfortunately both end up unsatisfied. Let me tell you a secret – most people aren’t romantic. There is no such thing as the ‘naturally romantic’ person – like most things, romance is learned, practiced and perfected.

From the time they are children, men and women are exposed to innumerable fairy tales where prince charming sweeps the princess off her feet with his romantic tendencies – the last time I checked there weren’t too many prince charming types out there. Okay so there are a handful of ‘prince charmings’ that give all other men a bad reputation – but the only difference between the romantic man and the unromantic man is the amount of time devoted to something they deem to be important. Romantic men have already figured out the 2nd secret (which we believe in at Authentic Messages) – romance really is important.

Women aren’t left blameless in this quest for romance (even though they typically try to absolve themselves of responsibility) – how many women are willing to take responsibility for the lack of romance in their relationships? It’s the 21st century ladies - be accountable! We want to be equal but our ‘rants’ about equality haven’t yet crossed over into the romantic realm. You’ve heard it said time and time again: “Men just aren’t interested in being romanced”. The elusive “being romanced” is really about being appreciated and loved. Who doesn’t like to be appreciated…which leads me to secret number 3 (I like to call #3 the ‘no-brainer’): regardless of gender, people want to feel they are special to another person; they want to be valued for who they are.

When we think about romance, we tend to have tunnel vision. We don’t realize that romance isn’t definable – it can be anything to anyone. What is romantic to Person A may not be the least bit romantic to Person B – why can’t romance be defined? The answer to that is simple – romance is, as secret 3 revealed, about making someone feel loved and appreciated. Ultimately romance is incredible personal. Different things are going to make different people feel loved, so don’t get caught up in the idea that it’s a waste of time to be romantic because your partner doesn’t like, and may even dislike, the mushy romance of movies. Of course this brings us to secret 4 – you need to find the romance that is right for your relationship. Having no definition is what makes romance so accessible to everyone – it has a constantly changing nature that can be manipulated.

Let’s face it – men and women need a little help and not the kind of help that pop psychologist ‘gurus’ talk about in their infamous (and equally ineffective) relationship books. Men and women need practical help – real life solutions for a real life problem. Men and women need to be inspired. I count myself an unofficial expert in the field of romance because I see it everyday in my line of work at the romantically themed store Authentic Messages – people are coming to the website looking for ways to be more romantic. These people have learned secret #5 – being romantic doesn’t necessarily mean ‘going it alone’. You can acquire help from outside sources to add a little romance in your life.

Unexpectedly military personnel have learned this secret better than any other group of people. Military men and women who are stationed overseas are seeking out realistic solutions to keep the romance alive from thousands of miles away and the internet is helping them in ways not imaginable a decade ago. With the click of a button (and five minutes of their time) those stationed abroad are able to set in motion a process that enables them to communicate and remain connected in meaningful and romantic ways with the partners they have left behind. I’ve never thought much of the old adage that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, however in the case of military men and women ‘absence seems to make the heart grow more romantic’. Leading me to secret #6 – it doesn’t take a lot of time, effort or money to be romantic. Even those in the most remote locations are able to achieve the magic that makes a relationship more special (with the help of outside sources…taking us back to secret #5).

In order for relationships to be the most fulfilling they can be, both men and women need to take an active interest in the pursuit of romance. Arguably communication, trust and commitment are the foundations of any successful relationship; however a building isn’t much with only its foundation. Romance, you might say, is the architectural detailing that makes a building more distinct and similarly a relationship more fulfilling. The basis of romance is encapsulated in the six secrets revealed above and summarized below.

1: There is no such thing as natural romance.
2: Romance is important.
3: Everyone likes to be ‘romanced’.
4: You need to find the romance that is right for your relationship.
5: Being romantic doesn’t mean ‘going it alone’.
6: It doesn’t take a lot of time, effort and money to be romantic.

Women Love Valentine's Day, Men Are From Mars

It’s Valentine’s Day, and just as New Year’s Eve makes us think about our past accomplishments and future goals, and Easter makes us wonder what the hell rabbits are doing sneaking around during the middle of the night hiding multi-colored hard boiled chicken eggs, February 14th conjures up thoughts of romance, dreamy candlelight gazes, and “Is it 5:30 already? I sure hope the drug store still has a 25-lb. heart-shaped box of chocolates without a dent in it!”

Yes, men and women see Valentine’s Day very differently. Right, like they don’t see just about everything differently. Only the stakes are much higher on Valentine’s Day. It’s like the final exam for a relationship except there’s no book you can study, no CliffsNotes to memorize, not even a Classics Illustrated to read in five minutes. There are movies which would give a guy a good idea of what the day is all about but there’s just no way he’s going to sit through it since The Rock isn’t in it. Thus, we’re on our own.

A woman’s idea of the perfect Valentine’s Day is to wake up to breakfast in bed with a dozen red roses in a vase on the nightstand. When she goes out to the car there’s a bouquet of red balloons tied to the antenna that all say “I Love You.” At work there’s another floral arrangement — the largest in the tri-state area — sitting on her desk. Dinner is at the most romantic restaurant in town where a strolling violinist plays her favorite song tableside, the night ending with a glass of champagne in front of a roaring fire.

A man’s idea of the perfect Valentine’s Day is to wake up and find out it’s been cancelled.

Men, having an inexhaustible ability to rationalize, love to say, “I don’t need to set aside a special day to show you how I feel. It’s the same every day.” This is true, since as a species we’re incapable of showing our feelings 365 days a year. You have to admit, if nothing else we’re consistent. Woman, on the other hand, enjoy the trappings of Valentine’s Day — the flowers that die in two days, the candy that makes them feel fat and ugly for weeks, and the big stuffed heart filled with sneeze-inducing ragweed pollen. Small gestures, but ones that make them very happy.

How did all this get started, anyway? It turns out that Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine who, according to which story you want to believe, was one of two different third century Christian martyrs, each supposedly executed on February 14th. Now there’s a reason to celebrate.

Over the years Valentine’s Day has metamorphosed from a wake to the second largest card-sending day of the year, the first of course being Election Day, when every person who’s been dead since the 14th century somehow mails in an absentee ballot. Well, in Chicago anyway. Experts estimate that over a billion Valentine’s Day cards will be exchanged this year, which is 3-1/2 cards for every man, woman, and child in this country. That’s an awful lot of trees being chopped down just so men don’t have to sleep on the couch for a week.

While flowers are highly prized by women as a gesture of love, men are more prone to buy Sweethearts. These, in case you haven’t been in the seasonal aisle of a drug or grocery store since the day after Christmas, are the tiny tasteless candy hearts that have such romantic sayings stamped on them as “Be Mine”, “Kiss Me”, and “Get My Drift.” At least they do when they’re readable. And yes, I said “Get My Drift.”

Each year the New England Confectionery Company (better known as Necco) puts new slogans on their candy hearts. That’s because there’s nothing like giving a loved one a great big bag of chalky hearts with outdated messages to say, “Hey, they were cheaper than usual because they’re last year’s.” In the past the company has added such heart-melting sentiments as “IM Me,” “What’s Up,” and "Diva." This year’s 8 billion hearts — which comes to 26 for every person in the country — will feature weather and nature-related sayings such as "In A Fog," "Nature Lover," and "Do Good." I don’t know about you, but I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve won the heart of a woman by leaning over a romantic dinner table, taking her hands in mine, gazing deep into her eyes, and saying, “My darling.....do good.”

So you see, contrary to what die-hard romantics like Jane Seymour and Camille Paglia say, love really has changed over the years. What hasn’t changed is the fact that if you don’t get your butt out and buy your wife, girlfriend, or any woman you ever hope to speak to again in your life a present, you might as well disconnect your phone, change your email address, and join a monastery. And don’t bother IM’ing them from there to tell them to do good. It will be too late.

Violence in Nashik, 26 MNS workers detained

NEW DELHI: Barely hours after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) announced that its chief Raj Thackeray, facing possible arrest, would not seek anticipatory bail, the party workers unleashed violence on the streets in Nashik

Reports suggest that MNS workers vandalised shops owned by north Indians in Nashik. As many as 26 party workers were reportedly detained by the Nashik Police.

Despite heavy police presence, unrest was seen in several parts of the region.

Earlier, in the wake of cases against Raj Thackeray for "promoting" enmity between groups, the Mumbai Police beefed up security at his residence and all entrances were barricaded ahead of his possible arrest.

Media personnel trying to reach Thackeray's residence were told to wait several meters away.

On Monday, Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order), K L Prasad had said that arrests are mandatory in cases registered against MNS chief and SP leader Abu Asim Azmi.

They were charged with the offences which were cognisable and non-bailable, Prasad had said.

Police had filed a case against Thackeray for "promoting" enmity between groups. Thackeray had been booked for provoking with an intention to cause riot and promoting enmity between groups.

Thackeray and Azmi were booked ( see video ) under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153 A (promoting enmity between groups on the basis of place of birth, residence, etc) and 153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration).

Azmi had allegedly made provocative speeches at the Samajwadi party rally held at Shivaji Park on February 3.

The case against Raj was registered at Vikhroli police station and against Azmi at Shivaji Park police station.

Sanjay Gadhi, the chief coordinator of MNS, had sounded a warning, "The situation in the city and the state will worsen if Raj is arrested, and the state government will be responsible."

On Monday evening, a few MNS activists started closing down shops in Kannamwar Nagar and Tagore Nagar. Seven activists were detained by the police.

Don't go shopping when sad

Feeling glum and introspective, and think a little shopping might be the ideal therapy?

Don't do it. According to a study released on Friday at the annual meeting of the Society for Social and Personality Psychology, inward-looking people who are down in the dumps tend to spend more money on the same item than their neutral-emotion counterparts.

Earlier studies have drawn a link between mood and spending habits, but this one highlighted the key role played by how self-focussed a person is.

"It is the combination of sadness and self-focus that drives the effect, and it turns out that sadness leads to an increase in self-focus," said Cynthia Cryder, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University and one of the co-authors of the study.

"What we think is going on is that sad and self-focussed people are feeling pretty bad about themselves and have a decreased valuation of themselves. They want to enhance this valuation, and one way to do this is by acquiring material goods," she said.

Placing a higher value on those goods could be an attempt by the sad, self-focussed person to boost their self-esteem by transferring the value of the item to themselves.

The big problem is, the purchase is often regretted later. "A huge key to avoiding decision-effects like this is being aware that you're sad in the first place. But that's rather hard to do," Cryder said.

"Participants in studies such as ours usually have no idea that their feelings influence their decisions, so it's impossible to correct," she said.

"Secondly, always re-evaluate major purchases one day or one week after you make them so that you can make sure that whatever you bought is still attractive to you," Cryder said.

"That lowers the probability that you'll have an over-priced mistake due to some fleeting influence that you didn't know about and still don't know about. You just know, 'Wow... why did I pay so much for that?'"

Slowdown: Economy to grow at 8.7%

NEW DELHI: Just when you were getting used to 9% growth, the government's statistics office on Thursday said GDP would rise by 8.7% in the current financial year, compared with 9.6% last year and 9.4% in 2005-06.



While Reserve Bank of India's interest rate hike to keep inflation under check is expected to see the manufacturing sector grow by 9.4% in 2007-08, compared with 12% last year, construction activity is also likely to slow down. But the blame mainly fell on the usual suspect — agriculture — with farm output projected to rise by 2.6% this year, as against 3.8% in 2006-07.

The Central Statistical Organisation's estimates, however, have already been questioned, with finance minister P Chidambaram saying the agriculture ministry, which released crop output estimates on Thursday, "not sharing the assessment that agriculture growth will be only 2.6%".

Horoscope 08 Feb

Aries

Be kind and sympathetic today. Pay more attention to the situation around you. Do not cross the road anywhere except the pedestrian crossing.



Taurus

If someone expects that today you would carry out his orders, he is mistaken. Today you would be extremely obstinate and faster would force all the world to dance after your own pipe than would climb down.

Gemini

Today the passion to learning the world can get you too far. Exactly in such a day the tremendous opening are made, about which all mankind then pities.

Cancer

The constant staying in the center of attention can simply exhaust, even if you are surrounded with a warm atmosphere. In some aspects it is better temporarily to depart on the second plan.

Leo

Today you will be on a rarity successful in love, from what automatically follows that it is better not to play now.

Virgo

The today is ideal for fruitful activity, bringing moral satisfaction. Warn your relatives beforehand, you will be late today.

Libra

Today it will be difficult to you to remain sitting on a place. Try not to be scattered, being grasping any triviality. Order the efforts and throw them on struggle with something determined.

Scorpio

Today time will turn back, having allowed you to throw a melancholy sight for your own young years. Do not forget only that everything in this world is relatively. Even the time is.

Sagittarius

Seek diversion from all problems including the most insignificant and largest ones. Don't let to use yourself for moving weights, both physical and spiritual.

Capricorn

This day will bring to you a lot of surprises, most astonishing of which will be a strange behavior of the man, do familiar to you. Try to suit a situation.

Aquarius

Today the voice of your mind will be muffled by the voice of your heart. Be ready to live with consequences of that you will do, following its advice.

Pisces

This day will be characterized by a friendly atmosphere, either at home, and out of it. Of you it is required only not to break it.

Yahoo seeking ways to avoid MS bid

SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang has sent a message to employees, assuring them the firm's leaders are exploring ways to avoid a takeover by software giant Microsoft.
In an email to Yahoo workers, Yang said the board of directors has yet to decide how to respond to Microsoft's offer to buy the veteran Internet company for $44.6 billion in cash and stock.
“Our board is thoughtfully evaluating a wide range of potential strategic alternatives in what is a complex and evolving landscape,” Yang wrote in the email, which was filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
“What has become clear in the past few days is how much people care about this company. I have heard from many of you, and from other friends and colleagues from around Silicon Valley and across the globe, that we need to do what is best for Yahoo and our shareholders.”
Microsoft's unsolicited offer to pay the equivalent of $31 per share for Yahoo highlights the 14-year-old California firm's potential to recapture past glory, Yang told employees.
Microsoft publicly announced what it billed as a “generous” offer for Yahoo on February 1 and said its plan is to combine resources to take on Internet powerhouse Google.
Google has come out against the proposed takeover, condemning it as an attack on the freedom of the Internet.
Yahoo has received calls from “a number of interested parties” and has a wide range of strategic options, a source close to Yahoo said.
Those options include outsourcing online advertising to arch-rival Google, a proven master at pumping revenues from that well.

Horoscope 07 Feb

Aries
You should make friends with your own head, even for today. The care and discipline will increase the chances of success.

Taurus
Listen to your internal voice and try to understand it correctly. If as a result of your today's actions you will get into a mess, it would mean that you have confused an internal voice with collywobbles.

Gemini
This day you should spend being receded into the background. Your opinion would be paid no attention, but you wouldn't have to be responsible for consequences of the badly thought actions.

Cancer
Listen to nobody now, all the same you won't hear anything. Today you will be so selfish, but it is only to best.

Leo
Today you will need someone, who would inspire you on great affairs. At the worst it can appear as the book or movie character, though it is unlikely.

Virgo
Between a reality and something that you consider to be the same, there is nor basic difference, however the situation is much less dangerous, than you think. You risk nothing.

Libra
Relax and take pleasure. Today the mountain will come to you itself, you won't have to go to it.

Scorpio
Today you will have to break amazing news to somebody. Do not hasten at all. Begin from something unimportant, from small talks about the weather. And only having turn the head of the interlocutor, strike him. The result will exceed your expectations.

Sagittarius
Today it will be difficult to you to estimate your force, you can break something. The situation may boil over - be very accurate.

Capricorn
It is necessary to devote this day to dreaming, eating and other simple, not tiresome and reliable ways of storage of energy. It will be required very much and in the near future, so accumulate it, while there is an opportunity.

Aquarius
Probably your alliance with someone has ceased to be productive. It is time to let it break up and to look for more constructive relations. The faster you will take the decision, the better will be the result.

Pisces
Do not give yourself to fall into feverish haste, trying to do everything planned on today. You only aggravate a situation. Calm down, and everything begins to turn out itself.

Ajim Premji: US facing IT pros crunch

SILICON VALLEY: The growing shortage of IT professionals is fast becoming a serious issue in the United States and the business leadership in the country needs to "take the problem by the horns", Wipro CEO and chairman Azim Premji said.

"America does not have the talent. There's a huge shortage of IT professionals here," Premji told the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Wipro is in the process of opening its first American software development centre in Atlanta and plans to hire 200 professionals here within a year.

The work force would be extended to 500 within three years. The number of awarded engineering degrees in the United States has dropped 20 per cent over the past two decades, according to pro worker-visa-advocacy group Compete America.

Premji, who strongly advocates that the visa cap would hurt American competitiveness, said the IT industry here needs to proselytize more to students about the benefits of computing jobs.

Outreach, he told the Chronicle, should be on the minds of any executive running a high-tech company. "One problem technology leadership needs to address is the stigma in students that it's futile to study for a high-tech career because all the jobs are going overseas to India, which for years has been the top source of H-1B workers employed here," the Wipro chief said.

While some positions are lost, he said, there is ultimately a net gain of jobs. American companies that can offshore work, Premji maintained, are more competitive and create more jobs domestically in the long run.

He cited another common problem with many Americans and Europeans, who find computing and math courses boring or too difficult.

Premji, who features in the top 10 list of business tycoons recently compiled by the Forbes magazine, said schools in the US have to find innovative means to make math, science and computing interesting. "It is such an exciting area if it's well taught."

"The fundamental focus has got to be teachers. They have to be teaching math and science in a way that's exciting to students, he said.

10 Couple Money Musts

You're in love, you're committed, and now you've decided to take the big step that says "I'm yours/you're mine." Congratulations! Before you seal the deal though, get your financial affairs in order. Why? Because among the chief reasons couples often split are fights over issues that deal with money.


Here are 10 tips that will ensure you start off on sound financial footing before you co-mingle your finances with those of your prospective partner:

1. Check your credit report: Is it accurate? If not, take steps to have the record set straight.A good credit rating means you and your partner can buy that house or furniture.
2. Put a cap on credit card limits: If you leave yours open-ended it might be too tempting to spend, spend, spend. And soon it will be the two of you buying things!

3. If either of you own a business, assess its value. Regardless of whether the business is large or small, knowing what it is worth is important. Get a business appraiser to help you with this one. The two of you may want to grow this business, but knowing its worth and projected worth could be valuable.

4. If either of you have real estate, assess its value. How much equity do you have? Find out. You and yours might want to use it to buy a bigger place.

5. If either or both of you have pension plans, 401Ks, or IRAs, you need to know what they are worth today and inquire as to what they will be worth when you and your partner want to kick back and retire one day. Keep contributing to these plans.

6. Prepare a reasonable budget:Tally up what it's been costing you to live alone on a monthly basis. Now, do it again with your partner in mind because soon you will be living on a budget for two! What's your new bottom line?

7. Organize your paperwork: Putting all your account numbers, financial statements, bank records, stock certificates and other items that have to do with your finances in one three-ring binder is one more way to get your financial house in order. Don't forget to keep it updated.

8. Make sure your taxes are current: You certainly don't want to go into a relationship with tax bills -- personal or property -- hanging over your heads. If you owe the IRS, pay them. A clean slate is important to the overall health of your relationship.

9.Prepare to close existing accounts and open new ones: This goes for utilities, department store accounts, your online service -- anything you and your partner will both be using. You've heard the term: share and share alike.

10. If you have these, update your will and trust(s): This item is often the one most couples overlook but could become extremely important in terms of "who gets what" and "who handles what," should you be faced with an unexpected catastrophic circumstance or disability.

Your Day Today 6th Feb

Aries

Recede before you would seriously offend someone, who is not indifferent for you. Today you should supervise yourself each second for not to tell something superfluous.


Taurus

Today a great part of some secret can become obvious. Let's hope that it will play into your hands.

Gemini

It is not necessary to consider any problem personal, otherwise your life can turn to a very realistic similarity of a night nightmare. You should slightly have a rest and clear up, what you can affect, and where you are powerless.

Cancer

Today you will be inclined to make a mountain out of a molehill. It is unreasonable for two reasons: first, the situation is not so bad, and secondly, what you are going to do with the mountain?

Leo

Try not to forget today that in command game the most important is the well-adjusted interaction between the players. Try to achieve something similar in the relations with the colleagues on work.

Virgo

Today it will be rather difficult to you to cope with your own tongue. No, it won't mumble - on the contrary, it should diligently be held in a bridle, otherwise that it will tell such a thing...

Libra

Today it will be uneasy to be concentrated on something alone, but if you will manage to do it the result will exceed all your expectations. Let's try.

Scorpio

Today all around of you will be music, it will be not a day, but a song. So, in ecstasy, you will reach evenings.

Sagittarius

Today it is better to be engaged in self-education, as the occasion for this purpose could be easily found. Probably, it can release you of more tiresome work.

Capricorn

There are a lot of levels of desire and you are on most deep one, which it is possible to name the passionate. It is very interesting to know what do you want?

Aquarius

Today your friend will upset you. You will have to spend a lot of time to console him or even to solve his problem.

Pisces

Today in the foreground there can be territorial problems. You wouldn't be able to solve them all the same, but you would spend for them all the day.

IBM sets up centre in Navi Mumbai

BANGALORE IBM has announced the launch of a work recovery centre in Navi Mumbai to provide business continuity solution to the captive contact centre operations of financial service companies and BPO centres. The new centre will support a capacity of up to 2,500 seats per year and scale it up to 3,500.

Work recovery centre will provide end-toend solution that helps clients to operationalise a business continuity plan covering people, processes and technology. The centre will ensure that employees can remain productive even when they cannot access their workplace in case of certain unexpected events.

A study on workforce continuity by Forrester Consulting found that business interruptions such as site closures due to fire or natural disasters leave the data centre unaffected, but can displace employees from their workplace — significantly impacting the productivity of the employees and their firms..

Cisco to up India headcount to 360,000

MUMBAI: To increase its talent pool in India, IT networking major Cisco System India Pvt Ltd has decided to increase its headcount six fold to nearly 360,000 in the next five years. The IT giant has announced a series of initiatives to nurture networking professionals, which would translate to an addition of nearly 360,000 engineers within the next five years. As a part of its initiatives, Cisco has announced two of the country's largest technology training organisations - National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) and Indian Institute of Hardware Technology (IIHT) - as becoming Cisco Certified Learning Solutions Partners. The two institutes will offer Cisco-certified programmes to students and professionals in over 200 locations throughout the country. "The launch of our talent-development initiative in India underscores Cisco's commitment to expand access to the IT training and certification resources that will support the country's continued economic growth," said Leo Scrivner, vice-president of human resources at Cisco Services. The company is also mulling a major push towards increasing access to its examination facilities through its primary test-delivery partner, Pearson VUE. The IT firm will add 150 testing facilities across India by end of this year to meet these new requirements. Pearson VUE will also deploy mobile testing centres to increase access to technology in rural and under-served areas.

TCS asked 500 employees to resign

BANGALORE: Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, India's largest software services exporter, said on Tuesday that about 500 of its staff had resigned after their performance was rated poorly.



"Those who cannot meet the performance requirements of our company are asked to look for another job commensurate with their abilities," a spokesman for Mumbai-headquartered Tata Consultancy told it. "This (financial) year so far about 500 people have resigned voluntarily."

The company's financial year runs from April to March. "It's not an exceptional thing, it happens every year and it's part of our annual performance exercise. Last year also similar number of people left the company," the spokesman said. In the December quarter, Tata Consultancy, part of the Tata Group that has interests in cars, commodities and services, added 4,037 net staff taking its total headcount to 108,229, up from 83,500 a year ago.

India's export-driven software services companies have been winning large outsourcing contracts from western clients, but recession fears in the United States, a strong rupee, soaring wages and a skills shortage are major worries.

Yahoo may consider Google alliance

Yahoo Inc would consider a business alliance with Google Inc as one way to rebuff a $44.6 billion takeover proposal by Microsoft, a source familiar with Yahoo's strategy said on Sunday.



Yahoo management is considering revisiting talks it held with Google several months ago on an alliance as an alternative to Microsoft's bid, which, at $31 a share, Yahoo management believes undervalues the company, the source said.

A second source close to Yahoo said it had received a procession of preliminary contacts by media, technology, telephone and financial companies. But the source said they were unaware whether any alternative bid was in the offing.

Few natural bidders exist beside Google that could engage in a bidding war, and Google would be unlikely to win approval from antitrust regulators, some Wall Street analysts said on Friday.

Yahoo's efforts to find an alternative bidder could simply be a measure to pressure Microsoft to boost its bid, which valued Yahoo at $44.6 billion when first announced on Friday.

Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Jeffrey Lindsay wrote in a research note that "the Microsoft bid of $31 is very astute" because it puts pressure on Yahoo management to take actions that could unlock the underlying value of Yahoo assets, which he estimates are worth upward of $39-$45 a share.

Separately, Google Inc fired back on Sunday at Microsoft Corp's bid to acquire Yahoo Inc, accusing Microsoft of seeking to extend its computer software monopoly deeper into the Internet realm.

David Drummond, a Google senior vice president and its chief legal officer, said in a blog post that the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo could undermine competition on the Web and called on policy makers to challenge the combination.

Microsoft responded to Google's arguments by saying that a merger with Yahoo would create a "compelling number two competitor for Internet search and online advertising" to market leader Google.

"The alternative scenarios only lead to less competition on the Internet," Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said in a statement.

Drummond argued that Microsoft's power stems from decades- old monopolies in Windows -- the software operating system used to control most personal computers -- and Internet Explorer, which is the dominant browser consumers used to view the Web.

Microsoft's proposed merger with Yahoo would combine the No. 1 and No. 2 suppliers of Web-based e-mail, instant messaging (IM) and portals, which act as starting points for hundreds of millions of users seeking information on the Web.

The Google executive argued in an official blog post that Microsoft could be looking to favor Microsoft and Yahoo services by pushing customers to other Web services they own instead of letting customers elect to use rival services.

"Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and Web-based services?" Drummond said in a blog at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/.

In making its case for the deal during a conference call on Friday, Microsoft executives said Google -- not Microsoft -- was the one company antitrust regulators were likely to bar from buying Yahoo, based on Google's dominance in Web search.

Microsoft executives cited industry data showing Google has a 75 percent share of worldwide Web search revenue. Collectively, Yahoo and Microsoft attract around 20 percent of Web searches, Internet measurement firms show.

"Today, Google is the dominant search engine and advertising company on the Web," Smith said in replying to Google on Sunday. "Google has amassed about 75 percent of paid search revenues worldwide and its share continues to grow."

A person familiar with Google's thinking said the company believes Microsoft is using the same playbook it did in the 1990s to switch Windows users away from Web browser pioneer Netscape Communications to its own Internet Explorer.

Your Day Today 4th Feb

Aries

Try to demonstrate a degree of your vulnerability to nobody today. They could take advantage of it by the lowest way.



Taurus

Today you will be attracted uncontrollably by water element. It even can appear dangerous, try not to sink.

Gemini

Look narrowly at in what the environmental are engaged before to try to help them. You should spend your energy more economically - today you will have very little of it.

Cancer

You today will be so bright and vociferous, that environmental would notice you, however great were their desire to ignore your presence. Do not frighten them please.

Leo

You are inclined to personalize too many events. It does not cost to do, not all is done specially for offending you, something doesn't concern with you at all.

Virgo

The today is created for love. Use it efficiently.

Libra

Today everything that requires of you discipline and obedience would be unrealizable. Do not try to overcome your impetuosity - you will only get tired. For it also could be find an application.

Scorpio

Today you can appear in the power of strong feelings, but among them there wouldn't be the philantropy. Storming in impulses of righteous anger, try to damnify yourself and environmental in the minimal degree.

Sagittarius

Today any feeble effort to cooperate with you will be suppressed by the power of your individuality on the vine. Try at least not to maim that man.

Capricorn

You like to get this, this and this and as much as... However, proceeding from the experience of mankind we all know that it is not possible. Choose your priority directions.

Aquarius

If you are not capable to master a job, you have promised to do, it is better to apologize and return it to its owner. It is not necessary to spend all your time and energy trying to justify someone's hopes.

Pisces

If you wouldn't hurry, you can miss a quite good chance. The Fortune does not bear the indecision.