JurnoJK gets pat from CAM!

(CAM News November issue-2007)

CAM News reported: JurnoJK is a blogspot created and maintained by enthusiastic journalist B Jayakishore based in Bangalore. He says that the blog is an 'Open Discussion Forum' to give spark to our thinking process and to be friends irrespective of our geographical boundaries. Most of the articles in JurnoJK give a passionate touch of the grassroots, particularly agriculture.

My sincere thanks to CAM Team

B Jayakishore

Toy story continues…!

By B.Jayakishore

Finally, after much of criticism and hue and cry over the safety of Chinese-made products, an executive of the Mattel toy company, the world’s largest toy maker, met China's top product safety official on Friday, to issue an apology.

On Friday, Mattel acknowledged that the company’s design flaws and safety control system are to blame rather than Chinese manufacturing glitches for the recent recalls of tens of millions of toys. (American company Mattel has outsourced its toy manufacturing activities to the Chinese toy making companies.)

According to news reports, Thomas A. Debrowski, Executive Vice President of Mattel’s for worldwide operations, apologized to China for harming the reputation of Chinese manufacturers.

“Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to all the Chinese people, and all of our customers, who received the toys,” Debrowski told Li Changjiang, the head of China’s product-safety operation, in a visit to Beijing.

“The core problem for the recalled toys was the design flaw, instead of the manufacturers,” said Stefano Solo, an expert of the EU Consumer Affairs Commission to a news agency here.

China’s state media yesterday welcomed the toy maker’s apology over its recalls of Chinese-made toys. It said that although this apology came little late, now it should help in restoring the country’s sullied export reputation.

It can be recalled that recently more than ten labourers, who work for a Toy Exporting company in china have committed suicide; after Mattel, an American toy company, to which Chinese company supplies the products recalled all the Chinese toys.

According to the state-run Guangzhou Daily, Mattel’s apology was a little late “but at least it redressed injustice against toys made in China.”

Have your view. Please post your comment.

BEWARE: car jackers are here!

By B Jayakishore

You might be aware of plane hijacking. But have you heard about carjacking? In US this is common word used to describe car theft. Wikipedia has got a definition for the word which goes like this: Carjacking is the crime

of stealing a motor vehicle when the vehicle is occupied. Typically, the carjacker is armed, and the driver is forced out of the car at gunpoint. The word is a portmantesu of car and hijacking.

Shocking revelation is that now Bangalore is also witnessing such a kind of incidents. But don’t worry. In Bangalore it is not as serious as it is mentioned in the definition. You know how they may steal your car? I mean Carjack your car? Please read on...

Normally what will you do take away car from parking lot? You unlock car and get inside, tighten seat belts and you start the engine and shift gear into Reverse to take out your car (if needed) from parking lot right? Now, when you look into the rear view mirror you may notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. Obviously it is obstructing your back view in mirror. So what will you do?

You stop the car. Unlock your doors, and step out to remove paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, these car jackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. Every thing will be over within some seconds! So, now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys...for the time being you have lost every thing!

Recently this kind of incident had taken place in Bangalore, near ITPL-Whitefield outside south gate parking bay and same kind of incident was repeated in Koramangala-ring road near Sanyo BPL office in late evening in the same week.

What can be done: If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. Whenever you step out of your car see to it that your car is locked properly.

Interestingly, when I inquired about this in some police stations, officials said: 'Yes, it has come to our notice that such incidents did happened in city recently. But till today no complaints has been registered in this regard. We are collecting further information about it'

However, some blogs have already broken the news. Interesting isn’t it?

Ask what we can do for India?

By DR APJ Abdul Kalam

Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our Achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success Stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat.We are the second largest producer of rice. Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a Self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements But our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.

I Was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the Day After a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid And a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. TheGory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the Newspaper, buried among other news.In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign Things?

We want foreign T. Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign Technology.Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that Self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this Lecture, When a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal In life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, You and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. IndiaIs not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation. Do you Have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance. Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is Yours.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.YOU say that our laws are too old. YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination. YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name -YOURS. Give him a Face - YOURS.

YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International Best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in The stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of MahimCauseway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking Lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or A shopping mall irrespective of your status identity... In Singapore you Don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai.

YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered In Jeddah . YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange In London at 10 pounds ( Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD Calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell Anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use Examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston??? We are still Talking of the same YOU.

YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system In other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay, Mr. Tinaikar , had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said. 'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan . Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.

We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?What does a system consist of ? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU.

When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system.

When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government.

Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too....

I am echoing J. F.Kennedy 's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians... ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA? AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY.

(Excerpts from DR. APJ Abdul Kalam's Speech in Hyderabad recently. Forwarded by JNATHA P.PERLA, Dubai)

Symbol of love at Lalbagh!

A Taj Mahal with more than 30,000 roses (Around 20,000 Red roses; 10,000 White roses)being built at Lal Bagh in Bangalore on Tuesday(Aug 07) for the Independence Day flower show which will begin from Wednesday(Aug 08). The flower replica is a tribute to Taj, one of the seven wonders of the world.
-B. Jayakishore

The Toy Story!

By B Jayakishore

Do you know how safe are the toys you buy? We might get chinese toys for throw away prices in market. But these toys have become the cause for concern as it has been proved unsafe for use due to harmful chemical contents used in them. As you all know china is one of the largest toy exporter in the world. But recently it got a blow when its largest buyer America banned its toys that are coated with paint believed to contain dangerous levels of lead.

Interestingly, American government has banned several cheap chinese products including tainted seafood, toxic toothpaste and chemical-laced pet food for containing harmful chemicals in it. In a warning to consumers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on its Web site that surface paints on the toys could contain excessive levels of lead, which can cause brain damage in young children when ingested.

Now, Its the turn of Fisher-Price. A famous American toys company owned by Mattel, which has its manufacturing base in China. Day before yesterday, Fisher-Price recalled nearly 1 million of its toys worldwide that are coated with paint believed to contain dangerous levels of lead.The recall covers 83 types of toys distributed in 32 countries, including toys such as Big Bird, Elmo, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Dora the Explorer and Diego.

Infact, this is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products, adding to worries about the danger it it might cause. In a statement, Mattel said the recalled toys were made by a single contract manufacturer in China, one it described as having "had a good track record on product safety in the past." The contractor had used lead-tainted paint pigment in violation of "applicable standards" as well as of Mattel’s self-imposed standards, it said.

After this incident, Now, Chinese government has ordered complete overhaul of the safety norms for the manufacturing of toys and other products in the country.Also Mattel has said thatit will conduct a review of all its third-party manufacturing operations in China. Weather chinese companies get contracts in future or not, atleast chinese people will get more safer products from now onwards in the wake of governments strict order.

But What about us?Our children? Has India initiated such a move? Everyday tonnes of loads of toys are being dumped in Indian market.We the people crazy about 'Cheap' Chinese products continue to buy the product without applying mind weather these products are safe or not! However, in our country, can we expect for government to take action?

ಕಾಯದ ಮಾಟ

ನನ್ನ ಕಾಯವ ನಾಳೆ ಕರಗಿಸಿಬಿಡುವೆ
ಪ್ರೀತಿ ದ್ವೇಷಗಳ ಬೇರ್ಪಡಿಸಿ
ಯಾತನೆಯ ಕ್ಷಣಗಳನು ನಾನಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳುವೆ
ಎಲ್ಲ ಸವಿನೆನಪು ನಿನಗೆ ರವಾನಿಸಿ

ಖಿನ್ನತೆಯ ಕಂದರವ ಈಗಲೇ ದಾಟುವೆ
ನಿನ್ನ ಕರೆಯದೆ, ಶಬ್ದರಹಿತ ಕಣಿವೆ
ಹಾರುವೆ ಬಿಡು, ದೂರ ಹರಿಯುವೆ
ಕಲರವ, ಜುಳುಜುಳು ಏನೂ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ

ಭಾವಕೋಶಗಳ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಖಾಲಿ ಮಾಡುವೆ
ಒಳ-ಹೊರಗೆ ಹನಿ ಬಣ್ಣ ಇರದಂತೆ
ನೀನು ದಾಟಿದ ಮೇಲೆ ಹರಡಿದ ಮಂಜು
ಕಂಬನಿಯೂ ತಟಕ್ಕನೆ ಬೀಳದಂತೆ

ಕನವರಿಸಲಾರೆ ಈ ಹಗಲು - ರಾತ್ರಿ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ
ಒಂದಾಗಿಬಿಡುತ್ತೆ ಕೆಲಹೊತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ
ಕಾಯುವ ಆಟ ಮುಗಿದು ಕಾಯದ ಮಾಟ
ಹರಿದುಬಿಡುತ್ತೆ ಚಣದ ತುದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ.

-Poem By BELURU SUDARSHANA. Which really touched me. I thank sudarshana for allowing me to publish it in my blog. Thank you sir!
http://www.mitramaadhyama.co.in/

Enjoy!

Mother: David, come here.
David: Yes, mum.
Mother: You really disappoint me. Your results are getting worse.
David: But I will only get my report book tomorrow.
Mother: I know that, but I'm going Hong Kong tomorrow so I'm scolding you now.

Girl: Do you love me?
Boy: Yes Dear.
Girl: Would you die for me?
Boy: No, mine is undying love

Man:How old is your father?
Boy: one year older then me
Man:How can that be?
Boy:He became a father only when I was born

(Forwarded by AMRITH JOGI)

Who should be our president?

By B Jayakishore

Finally, the time to step down from the President's chair has come for our loving president APJ Abdul Kalam. On July 24, 2007 the five year presidential tenure of 'Peoples President' will come to an end. Though he was not the choice of the people nor elected by them when he was elected as President, he would be leaving a deep impression in our hearts forever while leaving.

Already, the hot debate took its high about on the issue of who should be our next President. Political parties are busy with nominating their 'Political' Candidates for the highest office in the country. Also the debate all over is that who should be our President? Should he be a political candidate? Or apolitical?

I think this not at all a debatable issue. It is immeterial weather the candidate is a political or apolitical to become a President. Rather I would insist that our president should be a elderly person of humble soul who can guide our nation and inspire our youth towards the prosperity than a candidate is political or apolitical.

As we know in India Presidential post is just an Ornamental role. Our constitution has given him role of a mere Rubber stamp. But it is Kalam, who is fond of children, ambassador of knowledge, a thinker, a great scientist, motivator...moreover, now loved by all changed the dead and ornamental chair into a People-friendly!

Think of a elderly grand father at your home. He might be powerless in home affairs, but he is the one who can guide the family, pouring his vast experiences of life. He can tell the stories to grand children. Can share his valuable experiences with family...I remember it always gave me an extraordinary divine experience when listening to Panchatantra stories lying in my grandpa's lap.

Why not we can have a president who is knowledgeable, guiding, motivating and inspiring like our elderly grandfather?

APJ Abdul Kalam broke all the rules of Rastrapathi Bhavan to make it place a worth visit. Every year, every day, every moment he reminded us of achieving our goals with his scholarly, inspiring and motivating speeches. In his five year term he has travelled every length and breadth of the country more than any other his predecessors, with his electrifying and inspiring thoughts which gave him an adobe in every citizen's heart.

Who else had done this before? Up course I don't know much about Dr.Rajendra Prasad or Dr.RadhaKrishnan, But in time in which I have been living in, I have never heard or seen a passion like Kalam has,with among any other presidents who 'Ornamented' the chair!

At this juncture I remember what one of our greatest thinker Ram Chandra Guha has said- "We can however, wish for a president who will more gracefully fill the ornamental role of the office. We cannot, in the present system, get a president who will over rule his ministers; but give us at least a president who can have an elegantly worded speech for every occasion!'

Definitely, we'll Miss you Kalam sir!

-----

Some inspiring thoughts taken from the book INDOMITABLE SPIRIT written by

APJ Abdul Kalam...

*You have to evolve yourself and shape your life.

*Give one hour a day exclusively for book reading and you'll become a knowledge centre within a few years.

*See the flower,how generously it distributes perfume and honey. It gives to all, gives freely of
its love and, when its work is done, it falls away quitely. Try to be like the flower,unassuming
despite all its qualities.

*What matters in this life more than winning for ourselves is helping others to win.

*Think of rising higher, let it be your only thought.

*Science and spiritualism seek the same divine blessings for doing good for the people. Science tries to provide solutions for a better material life, while spiritualism looks at answers on how
to lead a righteous life.

*If you aspire to achieve great things in life you need magnanimity.

*When learning is purposeful,
creativity blossoms,
When creativity blossoms,
thinking emnates,
When thinking Emnates,
knowledge is fully lit
When knowledge is fully lit,
economy flourishes.

* Education is an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment.

*Every mind is creative,every mind is inquisitive.

*Creativity is seeing something as everybodydoes, but thinking something different.

*With determined efforts you can always suceed against established beliefs.

*Bhakthi is nothing but devotion we show to divinity that resides within us.

*When a mission is in progress, there will always be some 'problems' or 'failures. But failures should not become the master of the programme.

Why employees leave organisations?

By Azim Premji, Chairman,Wipro

Every company faces the problem of people leaving the company for better pay or profile.
Early this year, Arun, a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. He had heard a lot about the CEO. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food.

Twice Arun was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined.

Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Arun walked out of the job.
Why did this talented employee leave?

Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away.
The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules". It came up with this surprising finding:

If you're losing good people, look to their immediate boss. Immediate boss is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition.
"People leave managers not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

Mostly manager drives people away?
HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave,but a thought has been planted. The second time, that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he looks for another job.

When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and no more. By omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: "If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble. You don 't have your heart and soul in the job."

Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious,too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue.
Talented men leave. Dead wood doesn't.

"Jack Welch of GE once said. A company's value lies "between the ears of its employees"

(The Article by Premji is forwarded By JNATHA P PERLA, Dubai. Thank you dear friend!)