દેશના બધા CEO મળીને કમાઇ ન શકે એટલો આમનો પગાર

- આ છે અમેરિકન ટેક્નોલોજી કંપની એપ્પલના ચીફ એક્ઝિક્યુટિવ ટિમ કુક

- તેમને 2011માં 38 કરોડ ડોલર એટલે કે 2000 કરોડ રૂપિયાનો પગાર મળ્યો છે

જી હા, આ મહાનુભવોને એટલો પગાર મળ્યો છે કે તમે સાંભળીને હેરાન થઇ જશો. કારણ કે આટલી રકમ ભારતના તમામ સીઇઓ મળીને પણ કમાઇ ન શકે.

આવો અમે તમને બતાવીએ છીએ કે કોણ છે આ સજ્જન અને શું કરે છે. આ છે અમેરિકન ટેક્નોલોજી કંપની એપ્પલના ચીફ એક્ઝિક્યુટિવ ટિમ કુક. જેમને સ્ટીવ જોબ્સના મૃત્યુ પર આ પોઝીશન આપવામાં આવી હતી. તેમને 2011માં 38 કરોડ ડોલર એટલે કે 2000 કરોડ રૂપિયાનો પગાર મળ્યો છે. આ પગારને કોઇપણ સીઇઓને મળનારા પગારમાં સૌથી વધુ બતાવામાં આવી રહ્યો છે.

એપ્પલે અમેરિકન સરકારના જમા કરેલા દસ્તાવેજમાં આ માહિતી આપી દીધી છે. કંપનીએ દસ્તાવેજમાં કુકની પ્રશંસા પણ કરી છે અને કહ્યું છે કે તેમનું આ પદ પર બની રહેવું જ કંપની માટે અગત્યનું છે.
દિલચસ્પ વાત એ છે કે કુકના પૂર્વવર્તી જોબ્સ ફક્ત એક ડોલર પગાર જ લેતા હતા. મરતા પહેલાં તેઓ છેલ્લાં ત્રણ વર્ષ સુધી આ પગાર પર કામ કરતાં રહ્યા.
Courtesy: Divya Bhaskar

RBS to cut 3,500 jobs in investment bank shake-up

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has said it is planning to cut 3,500 jobs, with most of them to happen this year.

The cuts are part of a reorganisation and shrinkage of its investment bank.

The losses, which will be split between its UK and international offices, come on top of 2,000 cuts announced earlier.

Its "wholesale banking" business, which provides services to large clients including investment banking services, will be split into separate "markets" and "international banking" divisions.

The markets division - which comprises RBS' main trading activities - will focus on the bank's traditional strengths of debt, currency and money markets, the bank said in its statement.

The wholesale banking division will provide services for the bank's biggest clients.

These will include corporate advisory services transferred from its investment bank - such as helping major companies borrow money by issuing bonds - as well as cash management and payments services.

The bank has already shed some 30,000 employees over the last two years, 22,000 of them in the UK.

"It is a disgrace that while on a daily basis, stories are emerging about the massive bonuses at the top of the bank, increasing numbers of jobs are being cut from amongst the hard working staff," said David Fleming of the Unite union.

Markets took the statement well, although many of the details had been flagged up in advance.

RBS's share price rose 2.9% in early trading, outperforming other banks and other large companies on the FTSE 100 index.

Cutting back

The bank said that it planned to close or sell off other business lines, such as those dealing with shares and stock markets, as well as its business advising companies on mergers and acquisitions.

It is also looking to dispose of its corporate brokerage, Hoare Govett.

These business lines were ones that had been added or expanded only in recent years under the leadership of former chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin.

RBS also said in its statement that the size of the balance sheet - the total loans and investments - of its former investment banking division would be reduced by more than a quarter, from £420bn to £300bn, over three years.

This will enable it to cut its borrowing from wholesale money markets - which evaporated during the 2008 financial crisis, threatening the bank's collapse - by £75bn.

"The overall aim is to improve profits and reduce risks," says the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston. "Which matters to most of us, since taxpayers are sitting on losses of £26bn on the £45.5bn they invested in RBS to rescue it."

However, he also notes that the business lines being disposed of were not the ones responsible for causing RBS its huge losses during and after the 2008 financial crisis.

UK clients

RBS said the restructuring was also designed to prepare the bank for new UK regulatory requirements for banks to ring-fence their core UK operations from their riskier investment banking activities.

The bank's dealings with British small and medium-sized companies will accordingly be transferred away from the new international banking division, and handled via its UK banks.

There was no mention of any specific downscaling of its international operations.

However, there has been speculation that its operations in the Irish Republic - including Ulster Bank, which RBS bought in 2000 - and in Australia may be affected

Chancellor George Osborne announced the change in strategy at the bank in December 2011.

"Investment banking will continue to support RBS's corporate lending business but RBS will make further significant reductions in the investment bank, scaling back riskier activities that are heavy users of capital or funding," Mr Osborne told Parliament in December.

Mr Osborne's announcement came in the wake of a report into the bank by the Financial Services Authority in December 2011 which pointed to "errors of judgement and execution" by RBS management which led to its failure in 2008.

The bank is now 82%-owned by the UK government after taxpayers injected £45.5bn of new capital into RBS.

Are Women addicted to Social Networking Sites?

Social networks have changed the ways we interact with each other enormously. While such networks have made people, communities and groups with shared interests stay more “connected.”

Internet addiction and social network addiction in particular also started being recognized as psychological disorders all over the world.

Across each global region, social networking reached a higher percentage of women online than men. In a survey, researchers concludes that women spend more time using social networks than men despite the fact that marginally more men visit social networks whilst online.

Women are addicted to social networking sites more than men. They are more active in using these sites with almost half of female internet users using social networking sites on a typical day (48%), compared with 38% of male internet users.

Even more surprising is the 26 percent of women 18 to 34 who get up in the middle of the night to read text messages and the 21 percent who confessed to checking Facebook during the night. They tend to consume less video overall than men, but show more propensity for “You Tube.”

According to a report of ComScore, “women use social networking sites with an average of 5.5 hours per month compared to men’s four hours, demonstrating the strong engagement that women across the globe share with social sites.”

Not only this but Women spawns a "smaller share of online activity" via mobile, but that's because they are "less likely to own a smart phone or have an unlimited data plan, both key drivers of mobile Internet usage.

The rise of social networking has prompted women of all ages to engage in a host of associated online activities, such as photo sharing, gaming, video viewing and instant messaging.

Terms such as internet addiction disorder, Facebook addiction disorder and social networking sites addiction started to become popular because of the presence of people who overuse these sites.

पाकिस्तान में महफूज है लोकतंत्रः यूसुफ रजा गिलानी

पाकिस्तान की सेना ने प्रधानमंत्री यूसुफ रजा गिलानी को सेना और आईएसआई की आलोचना करने के लिए ‘गंभीर परिणाम’ की चेतावनी दी, लेकिन गिलानी ने तनिक भी न झुकते हुए रक्षा सचिव को बर्खास्त कर दिया. गिलानी ने कहा कि पाकिस्तान में लोकतंत्र को कोई खतरा नहीं है क्योंकि यह अब इसकी ‘तकदीर’ बन चुका है.

उधर, अमेरिका के समाचार पत्र ‘न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स’ ने पाकिस्तान के सैन्य अधिकारियों के हवाले से खबर दी है कि सेना नए रक्षा सचिव के साथ सहयोग नहीं करेगी. 

तेजी से बदलते घटनाक्रम के तहत सेना ने प्रधानमंत्री के खिलाफ एक संक्षिप्त बयान जारी किया जिसमें आरोप लगाया कि उनके आरोपों के बेहद गंभीर निहितार्थ हो सकते हैं जिसके संभावित नतीजे बेहद खतरनाक हो सकते हैं. 

नए संकट से करीब साढ़े चार साल पुरानी गिलानी सरकार को सत्ता से बेदखल किए जाने को लेकर अटकलों का बाजार गर्म होने के बीच प्रधानमंत्री ने रक्षा सचिव लेफ्टिनेंट जनरल (सेवानिवृत्त) नईम खालिद लोधी को बर्खास्त कर दिया. लोधी को सेना प्रमुख अशफाक परवेज कयानी का करीबी समझा जाता है. 

सरकार ने रावलपिंडी स्थित सैन्य इकाई के नए कमांडर के तौर पर ब्रिगेडियर सरफराज अली को नियुक्त किया है. इस इकाई ने पूर्व में हुए सैन्य तख्तापलटों में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई है. 

सेना की ओर से असामान्य चेतावनी गिलानी द्वारा चीनी सरकारी पोर्टल को दिए गए साक्षात्कार में यह बात कहे जाने के दो दिन बाद आई है जिसमें कहा गया था कि सरकार की अनुमति हासिल किए बिना उच्चतम न्यायालय में मेमो प्रकरण में हलफनामा दायर कर कयानी और पाशा ने असंवैधानिक और अवैध तरीके से काम किया. 

सेना के वक्तव्य में कहा गया, ‘माननीय प्रधानमंत्री ने सीओएएस (सेना प्रमुख) और डीजी आईएसआई (आईएसआई प्रमुख) के खिलाफ जो आरोप लगाए हैं उससे ज्यादा गंभीर आरोप नहीं हो सकते. दुर्भाग्य की बात है कि अधिकारियों पर देश के संविधान के उल्लंघन का आरोप लगाया गया है.’ कयानी ने अपने महत्वपूर्ण सैन्य सहायकों की सेना मुख्यालय में एक बैठक बुलाई और उम्मीद की जाती है कि वह कोर कमांडरों के साथ कल हालात की समीक्षा करेंगे. 

प्रधानमंत्री कार्यालय की ओर से जारी एक वक्तव्य में बताया गया कि गिलानी ने गंभीर कदाचार और अवैध कार्रवाई के लिए रक्षा सचिव को तत्काल प्रभाव से बर्खास्त कर दिया. वक्तव्य में कहा गया है कि लोधी के खिलाफ कार्रवाई राज्य संस्थाओं के बीच गलतफहमी पैदा करने को लेकर की गई है. 

वक्तव्य में बताया गया कि कैबिनेट सचिव नर्गिस सेठी को रक्षा सचिव का अतिरिक्त प्रभार सौंपा गया है. सेठी को गिलानी का करीबी समझा जाता है. 

सरकार ने हाल में लोधी को तब कारण बताओ नोटिस जारी किया था जब उन्होंने उच्चतम न्यायालय में एक हलफनामा दायर करते हुए दावा किया था कि असैन्य प्रशासन का सेना और आईएसआई के संचालनात्मक मामलों पर कोई नियंत्रण नहीं है. उन्होंने हलफनामे में यह भी कहा था कि असैनिक सरकार का सेना और आईएसआई पर सीमित नियंत्रण है. 

शाम को पाकिस्तानी चैनलों पर खबर प्रसारित की गई कि गिलानी राष्ट्र को संबोधित करेंगे लेकिन प्रधानमंत्री कार्यालय के प्रवक्ता ने इसका तुरंत खंडन किया. 

संकट में घिरी गिलानी सरकार पहले ही न्यायपालिका के साथ टकराव की मुद्रा में है. उच्चतम न्यायालय ने कल चेतावनी दी थी कि अगर राष्ट्रपति आसिफ अली जरदारी के खिलाफ भ्रष्टाचार के मामलों को दोबारा शुरू करने के उसके आदेश पर कार्रवाई करने में सरकार विफल रही तो राष्ट्रपति और प्रधानमंत्री दोनों के खिलाफ कार्रवाई की जा सकती है. इससे पहले जरदारी ने उन खबरों का खंडन किया जिसमें कहा गया था कि उन्होंने पाकिस्तान पीपुल्स पार्टी (पीपीपी) और उसके सहयोगी दलों की बैठक में अपने पद से इस्तीफा देने की पेशकश की थी. 

पाकिस्तानी प्रधानमंत्री ने इस अफवाह को खारिज कर दिया कि लोकतंत्र को किसी तरह का खतरा है. उन्होंने कहा कि लोकतंत्र अब पाकिस्तान की ‘तकदीर’ बन गया है. 

गिलानी ने कहा, ‘सीनेट का चुनाव वक्त पर कराया जाएगा. पाकिस्तान में लोकतंत्र बना रहेगा. अब लोकतंत्र पाकिस्तान की तकदीर में है और सभी संस्थाएं सरकार के तहत काम करेंगी.’ उन्होंने कहा, ‘मेरी सरकार किसी के खिलाफ नहीं है. हमने जांच कराई और फिर रक्षा मंत्रालय ने लिखित में जवाब लिया और इसे कानून एवं न्याय मंत्रालय को भेजा गया. सभी का पक्ष जानने के बाद हमारे पास इस कदम के अलावा कोई दूसरा विकल्प नहीं रह गया था.’ 

पाकिस्तानी प्रधानमंत्री ने कहा, ‘सेना प्रमुख और आईएसआई महानिदेशक ने उच्चतम न्यायालय में जवाब दाखिल करते समय रक्षा मंत्री को भरोसे में नहीं लिया और कानून मंत्रालय को भी अलग करके आगे बढ़ गए.’

सेना और आईएसआई प्रमुख के सरकार से अनुमति हासिल किए बिना मेमोगेट प्रकरण पर शीर्ष अदालत में हलफनामा दायर करने की बात गिलानी द्वारा कहे जाने के दो दिन बाद शक्तिशाली सेना ने कहा कि प्रधानमंत्री ने जो आरोप लगाए उससे ज्यादा गंभीर और कोई आरोप नहीं हो सकता. गिलानी ने चीन के सरकारी समाचार पत्र ‘पीपुल्स डेली’ के ऑनलाइन संस्करण को सोमवार को दिए गए साक्षात्कार में यह टिप्पणी की थी. 

उन्होंने कहा कि सेना प्रमुख कयानी और आईएसआई प्रमुख पाशा ने सक्षम प्राधिकार की मंजूरी के बिना कथित मेमो को लेकर उच्चतम न्यायालय में जवाब दाखिल किया. उन्होंने कहा कि इन दोनों जवाबों के लिए सक्षम प्राधिकार से मंजूरी के लिए रक्षा मंत्रालय की ओर से कोई औपचारिक प्रस्ताव नहीं भेजा गया था. 

गिलानी ने कहा था कि रक्षा मंत्री से जवाबों के लिए कोई मंजूरी हासिल नहीं की गई थी और सरकारी पदाधिकारी द्वारा सरकार की पूर्व मंजूरी के बगैर की गई कोई भी आधिकारिक कार्रवाई ‘असंवैधानिक और अवैध’ है. 

सेना के वक्तव्य में दावा किया गया कि गिलानी की टिप्पणी में कुछ महत्वपूर्ण तथ्यों पर गौर नहीं किया गया है. 

उसने साथ ही दावा किया कि सेना और आईएसआई प्रमुख उच्चतम न्यायालय को भेजे गए जवाब के लिए मंजूरी हासिल करने के लिए जिम्मेदार नहीं थे. 

सेना के वक्तव्य में कहा गया है कि कथित मेमो के संबंध में शीर्ष अदालत में दायर याचिका में सेना और आईएसआई प्रमुख को प्रतिवादी के तौर पर शामिल किया गया था और अदालत ने प्रतिवादियों को सीधे नोटिस दिया था. वक्तव्य में कहा गया कि इस पर अटॉर्नी जनरल ने कोई आपत्ति नहीं जताई थी. सेना प्रमुख और आईएसआई प्रमुख का जवाब अटार्नी जनरल के जरिए शीर्ष अदालत को सौंपने के लिए रक्षा मंत्रालय के पास भेजा गया था. 

अटॉर्नी जनरल और शीर्ष अदालत को एक पत्र भेजा गया था जिसमें उन्हें सूचित किया गया था कि सेना और आईएसआई प्रमुख के जवाब रक्षा मंत्रालय को सौंप दिए गए हैं. 

सेना के वक्तव्य में कहा गया, ‘इस बात पर जोर दिया जा रहा है कि प्रतिवादियों के वक्तव्य की प्रतियां सीधे शीर्ष अदालत को नहीं भेजी जा रही हैं.’ वक्तव्य में कहा गया, ‘जल्दी से आगे बढ़ने और सक्षम प्राधिकार की मंजूरी लेने की जिम्मेदारी उसके बाद प्रतिवादियों पर नहीं बल्कि संबद्ध मंत्रालयों पर है.’ सेना ने इस बात को रेखांकित किया कि प्रधानमंत्री और सेना प्रमुख के बीच गत 16 दिसंबर को हुई बैठक के बाद गिलानी ने एक प्रेस विज्ञप्ति में कहा था कि नोटिस के संबंध में शीर्ष अदालत को सौंपा गया जवाब उचित माध्यम से और कामकाज के नियमों के अनुरूप था. 

वक्तव्य में कहा गया, ‘माननीय उच्चतम न्यायालय के मामले पर तीन हफ्ते से अधिक समय से सुनवाई किए जाने के दौरान किसी भी समय जवाब की वैधता और उसकी संवैधानिक स्थिति के बारे में उससे पहले या बाद में कोई आपत्ति नहीं जताई गई.’ सेना ने दावा किया कि उच्चतम न्यायालय को दिए गए अपने जवाबों में सेना और आईएसआई प्रमुख पर जिम्मेदारी थी कि वे मेमो प्रकरण पर उन्हें जो भी तथ्य पता है उसे बताएं. 

उसमें कहा गया कि अधिकार क्षेत्र और याचिकाओं की विचारणीयता के मुद्दे में शीर्ष अदालत और सरकार शामिल है. 

वक्तव्य में कहा गया, ‘ऐसी कोई भी अपेक्षा कि :सेना प्रमुख: तथ्य नहीं बताएंगे यह न तो संवैधानिक है और न ही कानून सम्मत है. राज्य और संविधान के प्रति निष्ठा (सेना प्रमुख) के लिए हमेशा सर्वोच्च तौर पर महत्वपूर्ण रही है और रहेगी, जिन्होंने इस मामले में संविधान का पालन किया है.’ सेना और सरकार ने मेमो प्रकरण पर शीर्ष अदालत में एक-दूसरे से भिन्न रुख अपनाया था. गौरतलब है कि उस कथित मेमो में गत मई में अमेरिकी कार्रवाई में ओसामा बिन लादेन के मारे जाने के बाद संभावित सैन्य तख्ता पलट को रोकने के लिए अमेरिका से मदद मांगी गई थी.

और भी... http://aajtak.intoday.in/story.php/content/view/689217/13/0/democracy-is-safe-in-pakistan-says-gilani.html

Those Who Are Not Investing In Technology Will Not Survive

H.C. Winfried Vahland, chairman of the Board of Management at Skoda Auto talks about emerging nations and the future of automobile manufacturers.

Goal: Be a volume player

2018 sales target: 1.5 million cars

2011 sales: 80,075,000 units

Growth right now: 15 percent

Strategy: Increase market share in Europe, expand in Eastern Asian markets like China, India and Russia

Action: Building capacity in China, Russia and India to cater to these markets. Rapid, launched earlier, is outcome of this strategy.

Q: Have you taken a round of the Expo yet?

A: Not only the Expo but also the city. I have traveled frequently to India. It is an interesting country. And now I have come back and I see it is pretty nice. Not very humid in Delhi. About three years back, I had the chance to be in Udaipur with my wife and we saw the Lake Palace and then at Jaipur we bought carpets. Yeah, Jaipur is famous for nice carpets. And then there was this Tiger Park in the north. It was nice. And coming to business, India is different. Incredible India you call it. For instance I learnt that you have 268 parties out of which 24 are important. You don’t see this magnitude and variety of different interests, so colours make difference, spicy food makes difference, religion makes difference, and you have 29 states with different laws and independent. These are things which make you feel that India is not comparable to any other country. It makes it interesting for an international global person like me who has lived in South America, in Europe, United States and China. India is very interesting.

Q: All of this also means that India is also very complex. So as an automaker with a certain ambition in India, how do you go about your business?

A: Yes. It is very complex. First of all let’s talk about entrepreneurial experience in India. If I look at, for example, Germany and also in China, industry is making more than 40 percent of GDP growth. In India it is a little bit more than 10 percent. There is still a lot of focus on service and agriculture. But the balance towards industry, I would not say from my point of view is healthy. There has to be a much more balanced approach to industry because that brings employment, social security and also income. We already have some examples of places where too much investment is in service and it is not always good. Therefore the focus on industry and support to industry is not yet that developed in India as I can see in other countries. In China, it is very clear. There is a focus on bringing employment to 1.3 billion people. That’s why the big focus is on the automotive industry. That’s my experience of having lived five years in China. The complexity here, it is much more difficult to build a sound business case. And I would really request a little bit that policy makers also provide a little bit more sound ground to industry.

Q: In that context, how different are other emerging markets. So let’s say Brazil or Russia?

A: Russia is today pretty much into reviving the automotive industry. This industry was dying. Now they are trying to bring everything back. For example, the automotive supplier industry is much better developed in India than it is in Russia. But they are hugely investing in bringing automotive technique which brings employment. So, I would say in this way, Russia is different. There are fewer competitors in Russia as compared to India. The local players are not as strong as they are in India. And the market is also different. They don’t have these low budget markets as we have in India. And Brazil [does not have its] own brands, only international brands. What is a little bit similar is the car size. In Russia for example, and in China, they want big cars. In Brazil and also in India, because of cost and because of size smaller cars are appreciated.

Q: Is partnerships really where the future of the automotive industry is?

A: In the long term, yes. But the automotive industry’s end has not yet come. It is still under way. There might come out some international brands from China. The country has strong local brands which make already more than 3 million cars per year. [These may,] one day, develop as international brands. Tata Motors already is becoming an international player now with the acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover and with an engineering base in Europe. So how will it develop and look like in 10 years is let’s say still under development. So technology is coming and environmental issues are coming. I believe that [those] who are not investing in technology will not survive. And the Volkswagen group, for sure, is the technological leader and Skoda is glad to be part of the Volkswagen group family. We can provide not only safety and quality but also technological things for consumers that others cannot do. Sometimes these things are not visible in the car but if something happens you know you are driving a Volkswagen group vehicle.

Q: A lot of manufacturers here at the Expo are talking about compact SUVs and larger vehicles. Skoda kind of ventured into that space with the Yeti and I am not sure if it met your expectations in terms of sales?

A: The Yeti is competing in the compact European SUV segment, so you know 4X4 and now 4X2. It is number second after the BMW X1. The vehicles that you are speaking of; lot of these cars don’t get 4X4. It is more about appearances, if you know what I mean. I don’t know the current EcoSport (Ford) that is a concept car here but the EcoSport in Brazil when it was launched, it had the look of an SUV but in reality was a normal passenger car with bigger head. I don’t know whether it is the right approach for our company. It is a little bit of a pretender. It is pretending to be something which it is not. It worked in Brazil. It works for a period of time but it might not work always. It might work out for the next few years because it is new, it is fresh, it has the imagination of an SUV, it has the appearance but it doesn’t automatically mean it is a product for the long term. I would not bet on it.

Decoding the Reliance-Network18 deal

Amidst all that talk of impending gloom and a slowdown that has almost arrived, the industry woke up to big news last week – tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s dramatic announcement that he was getting into an investment deal with Raghav Bahl’s Network18, marking his entry in the media business.

As all Ambani’s endeavours go, the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)-Network18 tie-up too promises to be a mega venture with the potential to create much disruption in the industry. For one, the deal is likely to make other telecom companies sit up and take notice, and possibly go aggressive on media, though none of the major players we approached were willing to comment. Secondly, it is the first high ticket investment in the media, especially the television sector, in a long time. After the collapse of 9x and Real, very little fresh capital had been invested in the business. Therefore, Ambani’s move reposes faith in the broadcast business and holds out hope for the future.

"Reliance will leverage its deep understanding of Indian markets - consumer insights, technological expertise and the ability to build and manage scale to make this a win-win partnership," an RIL statement said.

Bahl, Founder, Editor & Managing Director of Network18 has termed the deal a “truly seminal moment in the 18-year history of Network18/TV18” and said by inducting such a significant amount of equity, the group’s balance sheets will become among the strongest in the industry.

According to brokerage firm Edelweiss, “Acquisition of RIL's stake in ETV (Eenadu) is a huge positive for Network18. This will enable Network18 to have a strong bouquet of channels like Star and Zee networks and edge ahead of Sony."

This definitely bodes well for RIL, especially considering its soon-to-be-launched 4G tablets that will now get the widest possible range of high quality content from Network18 and the Eenadu channels. Latest reports say that RIL plans to offer high speed fourth generation or 4G data services on the tablets priced around Rs 3,500 in 700 cities by 2012-end. Rival media companies will find it tough to match this offering of low cost tablets to penetrate the market.

If all goes well, one could see Ambani reaching for more in the media space.

So far, RIL’s only official media involvement has been buying the Sunday Observer and launching the Business and Political Observer in 1991. But both ventures did not succeed.

Tech and media interplay

Will the RIL-Network18 tie-up follow the Apple model and create the perfect synergy between media and technology? One would think so. When Apple launched the iPod in 2000, it sought to sweep the technology and music industries with a single product. A decade down the line, technology has helped music companies earn record revenues, which in turn has kept the content pipeline of good quality music.

Apple sought to do something similar with the publishing and TV industries with the iPad launch in 2010. Rather than owning content, it partnered with publishers and TV companies to sell their content through its tabs. Two years down the line, both publishers and broadcasters are happy with the early signs. And Steve Jobs’ recently published biography has given life to rumours about the impending launch of Apple TV, which might do to the TV industry what iPod did to the music industry. News reports say Apple is in talks with content producers for a pay per view model for TV content. Rather than subscribing to channels and paying for content which is neither wanted nor watched by viewers, subscribers will have the ability to buy their favourite content off the shelf. In one stroke, this move threatens to shake the foundations of the TV industry that has been built painstakingly over layers and layers of subscription models.

Back home, as part of the RIL-Network18 deal, Infotel Broad Band Services Limited, a subsidiary of RIL, will get preferential access to all Network18 content for distribution through the 4G Broadband Network being set up by it. This includes the content of all the media and web properties of Network18 and its associates as well as programming and digital content of all the broadcasting channels of TV18 and its associates on a first right basis.

The combination of a leading TV content provider, with a bouquet of nearly 25 channels, and Infotel will be a significant step in bringing a high quality “live TV” experience to broadband customers across the country. Likewise, Network18’s market-leading web portals and e-commerce operations will provide several value-added services to Infotel’s broadband subscribers.

Telecom - Media interplay

Reliance will be hoping to expand the business model with its interplay of telecom and media. When airwave licences were being auctioned in 2008, most telecom companies focused on 3G services as the next logical step in the business evolution. A hitherto unknown company called Infotel Broadband Services quietly picked up pan-India licences for 4G broadband services. What slipped under the radar at that time made the entire telecom industry sit up and take notice when Reliance Industries picked up a majority stake in Infotel a few months later. With 4G being touted as the next big thing in the telecom industry with data speeds in the 50- 100 Mbps range, it has potential to shake up many industries. Throw in high quality content sourced from the Network 18 group of channels and its recent content partnership with UTV - Disney and the picture is complete.

The three ingredients a media product needs to thrive- good quality content, good distribution and easily available hardware for watching - will all be in place. Reliance, through its acquisition of software content and distribution airwaves, aims to seek ownership of the entire value chain.

With a pan India 4G licence, Reliance hopes to own both content and delivery hardware and airwaves, thus making it a seamless play which isn’t dependent upon any outside forces.

Making the TV business look attractive again

The TV broadcasting industry is currently plagued with high carriage fees and low profitability. Despite riding years of growth, broadcasters are finding it increasingly tough to carve out healthy bottom- lines as a large portion of revenues are sunk into ensuring visibility for the channel on cable networks. On top of that, under-declaration of revenues by cable operators robs the industry of hard-earned money. India remains one of the cheapest entertainment markets on the planet. As, Sunil Lulla, MD and CEO, Times TV Network puts it, “People in India pay 50 paisa per hour of TV viewing on an average per day. This is the biggest ‘social service’ via the entertainment and information sector, considering the first class content we create for viewers. Globally, people pay 10-20 times of that.”

With the government making it mandatory for cable operators to digitize their networks phase-wise in the next few months and years, the industry is on the verge of a fundamental shift, which might make it more profitable, hence more lucrative for investors.

“This is the media of significant opportunities; especially when we are at the cusp of a game-changing move like mandatory digitization, which will transform television broadcasting and related sectors from a Rs 35,000 crore industry to a Rs 100,000 crore industry,” Lulla says. However, he feels it would be naive to believe that these recent developments are a signal of “All is well”. “It is a reminder that sustainable economic models will survive testing times and television broadcasting too needs the constant discipline of prudent financial acumen,” he observes.

Ambani’s investment might be the first high ticket investment to come in the TV broadcasting sector from outside the media industry. Leaving aside financial investors and the Tata Sky-Star JV, very few non-media industrial groups have been willing to enter the sector. Lack of profitability is touted as one of the top reasons why the business has failed to attract a significant outside investment. With the most basic of issues in the form of carriage fees taken care of, broadcasters can now focus on investing in better quality content and resources to enlarge the scale.

“All our peers and competitors enjoy a large premium because of the size and scale of their networks on the distribution front. This deal will allow us to actually add bulk to our network and negotiate as one large bouquet in the new digitized environment,” said Haresh Chawla, outgoing CEO, Network18 Group and Viacom18, during a recent investor conference call.
Meanwhile, Ambani’s investment in Network18 promises to ignite the appetite of many other industrial houses who might have been sitting on the fence waiting for a big first move to be made.

Building Volume for scale?

Until now, Star TV has been the leader in adopting technology in India. Last year, the company’s main channels like Star Plus, Star Gold, Star Movies, Star World were all made available on HD. In addition, the company also launched the TV feed of its main channel Star Plus on iPad.

Reliance Industries will hope to repeat the success of Reliance Telecom in its early days when a low cost high volume model drove up Reliance Communications’ subscription figures by the millions. With its low cost tablets coupled with compelling content and ownership of 4G licence, it could quickly create scale which rival broadcasting and distribution companies might find difficult to match in a hurry. India has 140 million cable and satellite (C&S) television households and close to 850 million mobile subscribers. In effect, more than 700 million people have access to either a TV connection or mobile phone or both. A market so large provides immense opportunity for the company to create scale once low cost tabs are seeded in the market. The UK-based Datawind, which launched low cost Akash tablets last year, has seen orders soar to almost 14 lakh units in two weeks since launch indicating the immense demand for low cost technology products. Throw in high quality content into the mix available, anytime, anywhere, and television set manufacturers soon might feel threatened. Reliance’s move into media might make rival companies to work together or with other partners to counter the advantage of scale they might create. Star TV and Zee already have a JV going for the distribution business. Given the seriousness of Reliance’s threat, the companies might also consider a more evolved model of collaboration with each other or others in the business for distribution of their content.

Rupee rises to 51.67 vs US Dollar

The Indian rupee rose by 3 paise to Rs 51.67 against the US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange on Wednesday increasing the value of the currency in banks overseas.

The rupee was Rs 51.70/71 per US dollar in the previous session. It fell to 51.90 per dollar before quoting at 51.86/87 at 10:30 hours.

The domestic currency was between Rs 51.60 and Rs 51.90 per dollar in early trade in the morning.

However, the demand for the rupee in banks remained still affected against the dollar with the fall of the currency by 20 paise to 51.90 per USD.

Meanwhile, the BSE rose by 57.28 points, or 0.30 per cent, to 16,222.37 in opening trade on Wednesday.

42% Indian Children suffer from Malnutrition

According to a report released on Hunger and Malnutrition (HUNGAMA), 42 per cent Indian children are suffering from malnutrition despite several healthcare schemes, which is described as a national shame.

Reacting to the report, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the government could not rely on the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, which takes care of the health and nutrition needs of children under the age of six.

Dr Singh said that the malnutrition is a matter of national shame when the country witnesses a significant growth in the GDP. Despite of several developmental programmes for children, there is no report of decline of malnutrition.

Even though, the ICDS is a major national programme, but the government cannot rely on it for a long period.

According to the latest report by the ICDS, the child underweight has decreased from 53 per cent to 42 per cent; around 20.3 per cent fall over a seven year period with an average annual rate of reduction of 2.9 per cent.

The report said that the percentage of child malnutrition is high in 100 districts where 40% of children are underweight and 60% stunted.

આતિફ અસલમના કાર્યક્રમમાં ભાગદોડ - ૩ યુવતીઓનું મોત

કહેવાય છે કે બહુ મોજશોખ સારા નહિ તે કહેવત આજે સાચી પડી છે. જાણવા મળતી વિગતો મુજબ પાકિસ્તાનના શહેર લાહોરમાં એક આર્ટ્સ કોમ્પલેક્ષ ખાતે યોજાયેલા સિંગર આતિફ અસલમના કોન્સર્ટ દરમિયાન નાસભાગ થતા 3 યુવતીઓનું મોત થયું છે અને લગભગ ડઝન જેટલા લોકોને ઈજા થઈ છે.

અધિકારીઓએ જણાવ્યા અનુસાર પંજાબ કોલેજ ઓફ કોમર્સના ઘણા વિદ્યાર્થીઓ અલહામરા કલ્ચરલ કોમ્પલેક્ષ ખાતે આતિફના શોમાં ભાગ લેવા માટે આવ્યા હતાં. જ્યારે ખાનગી સુરક્ષાકર્મીઓએ આતિફનો ઓટોગ્રાફ લેવા માટે પડાપડી કરતી યુવતીઓને પાછી ધકેલવા માટે દંડાનો ઉપયોગ કર્યો ત્યારે નાસભાગ મચી હતી. ત્યા હાજર એક સાક્ષીએ ડેપ્યુટિ ઈન્સપેક્ટર જનરલ ઓફ પોલિસ ગુલામ મેહમુદ ડોગારને જણાવ્યુ હતું કે, "જ્યારે કોન્સર્ટ પૂરો થયો ત્યારે અમુક યુવતીઓ આતિફનો ઓટોગ્રાફ લેવા માટે તેની તરફ દોડી. આતિફને ભીડથી બચાવવા માટે સુરક્ષાગાર્ડે હળવો લાઠીચાર્જ કર્યો હતો જેનાથી યુવતીઓમાં ગભરાટ ફેલાયો હતો."

ડોગારે પત્રકારોને જણાવ્યુ હતું કે આ ઘટના પછી વિદ્યાર્થીઓ એક્સિટ તરફ દોડ્યા હતાં જ્યા નાસભાગ મચી હતી. આ કારણે જ મોટી સંખ્યામાં વિદ્યાર્થીઓ નીચે પડ્યા હતાં અને તેમને ઈજા થઈ હતી. જ્યારે ઈજા પામેલા વિદ્યાર્થીઓને હોસ્પિટલ લઈ જવાયા ત્યારે ડોક્ટરે તેમાંની બિઝનેસનો અભ્યાસ કરતી 3 યુવતીઓને મૃત જાહેર કરી હતી. અધિકારીઓએ આ સિવાય અન્ય 5 ઈજાગ્રસ્તોની સ્થિતીને ગંભીર ગણાવી છે.

પંજાબ ચીફ મિનિસ્ટર શાહબાઝ શરીફે આ આખી ઘટનામાં તપાસ કરવાનો આદેશ આપ્યો છે. પંજાબ કોલેજ ઓફ કોમર્સ, દુન્યા ટીવીના ચીફ એક્સિક્યુટિવ મિયા અમેર મહેમૂદની માલિકીની છે. નામ ન આપવાની શરતે એક સિનિયર પોલિસ અધિકારીએ જણાવ્યુ હતું કે, "મીડિયા આ આખી ઘટનાને દબાવી રહ્યુ છે કારણ કે કોલેજ એક મોટા મીડિયા ગ્રુપની માલિકીની છે." એક મૃત વિદ્યાર્થીનીની માતાએ કહ્યુ હતું કે, "કોલેજ એડમિનિસ્ટ્રેશનનું મેનેજમેન્ટ તદ્દન વાહિયાત હતું. તેમણે મારી દીકરીનો જીવ લઈ લીધો છે." તેમણે અધિકારીઓને આ ઘટનાની જવાબદારી લેવા માટે કહ્યુ છે.

Source: www.gnsgujarat.com

Mouse or Lion- What Women prefer as Husband?

When it comes to choosing husbands, women are very obvious and particular. It is not just like women want their husbands to act like a mouse in front of them, but they also want them as a lion to protect them in any weird situations.

They need a husband who acts both like Lion and mouse according to the situations.

Husband as a Lion

A healthy woman wants a husband to be as strong as a lion. She desires a man who can make decisions, a man who can protect her, who can look out for the best interests of his loved ones, a man who does the right thing.

A woman likes a man with headship ability just like a lion. She enjoys brave men who at times do what she wants. There is nothing paradoxical here, if you think about it carefully. No woman wants a follower, except very few. Women like to be led and not lead their man.

Husband as a Mouse

Many times a woman wants her men to act like a mouse in front of her. No woman likes her man to overrule and disregard her any wish. She wants a man for whom her wish is command.

There are a number of ways a husband can show respect to his wife. To begin with, respecting wife means not trying to change or manipulate her, but rather honoring her needs, wishes, values, and rights.

When wives are not respected they feel insecure and lose their sense of self. That is why it is so vital for husbands to take special care of wife’s need for respect. Husband as a mouse does not mean that he acts like a dumb and quiet character. But it means he should not argue and mess when she is in bad mood.

Women are fascinated by aloof, independent, dominant men, because they fantasize that they will be the one who’ll bring his sensitive, caring side out. Around others, he may be a jerk, but to her he’ll be able to put across his fostering side.

Top 10 Indian Personalities who died in 2011

When we recall the series of events that happened last year, we cannot forget the fact that we lost many eminent personalities who contributed a lot to the society. We have come up with a list of 10 top Indian personalities, who breathed their last in 2011.

1. Sri Sathya Sai Baba (November 23, 1926 - April 24, 2011)

Saint, Philanthropist, Spiritual Guide, Educator, Social Worker and Godman Sathya Sai Baba, a cult like figure died on April 24, 2011, following a multiple organ failure after battling serious illness for nearly a month. Born as Sathyanarayana Raju in 1926 he was given the epithet Sai Baba since he was been considered as the reincarnation of Shiridi Sai.

Sai Baba emerged as one of the most popular Godmen in India in modern times initially through acts like producing articles like sacred ash(Bibhuti) and 'lingam' through sleight of hand and also founding institutions of learning and philanthropy. He had disciples of all sections of the society across the world.

2. Dev Anand (September 26, 1923 - December 3, 2011)

Dev Anand was the 'Evergreen Romantic Superstar' of Indian cinema who died on December 3 in London of cardiac ailment. His was active in Bollywood Silver Screen for long 65 years. He had appeared as the lead actor in 110 films out of his total 114. Dev has given several hits like Paying Guest, Guide, Baazi, Jewel Thief, CID, Johnny Mera Naam, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Des Pardes.

He was awarded ‘Padma Bhushan’ for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema in 2001 and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2002. He won two Filmfare Awards in 1958 for his performance in the film Kala Paani and in 1966 for Guide. He produced more than 35 films under his own film production company Navketan International films. Dev was active till his last time. His last film ‘Charge Sheet’ was released on September 30th, months before his death.

3. Jagjit Singh (February 8, 1941 - October 10, 2011)

"The Ghazal King", Jagjit Singh died due to a brain hemorrhage at the age of 70 in Mumbai. Among his most memorable numbers were Tum itna jo muskara rahe ho, Desires, Insight, Face to Face, Sajda. Padmabhushan Jagjit is the only composer and singer to have composed and performed songs written by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in two albums, Nayi Disha (1999) and Samvedna (2002).

The pair, Jagjit along with his wife, renowned ghazal singer, Chitra Singh, was a legend of Gazal world. Their combination albums in the film like Arth, Saath Saath and albums like Desires, Insight etc. are India's largest selling combination album of all time.

4. M F Husain (September 17, 1915 - June 9, 2011)

Renowned and controversial painter of International repute, M.F. Husain died at the age of 95 in London following a heart attack. Husain elevated contemporary Indian art to the global level with his personal creative style of modern art. He was peeved in controversy for his paintings of Hindu goddesses with obscenity. Following this, he left the country and started living in UK.

Born in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, on September 17, 1915, Husain was an in-born artist. He was honored with Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan and was the highest paid painter in India. He was also a great fan of Madhuri Dixit, the Bollywood actor. Besides, Husain has also directed and written three films in Bollywood – Gaja Gamini, Minakshi and Through the eyes of a painter.

5. Har Gobind Khorana (January 9, 1922 to November 9, 2011)

Nobel laureate Har Gobind Khorana died of natural causes on November 9, 2011 in Concord, Massachusetts, at the age of 89. He was an Indian-born American biochemist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley for research that helped show how the nucleotides in nucleic acids, which carry the genetic code of the cell, control the cell's synthesis of proteins. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1966 and subsequently received the National Medal of Science.

6. Pt. Bhimsen Joshi (February 4, 1922 to January 24, 2011)

Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi died in Pune at the age of 88. He was an Indian vocalist and Guru in the Hindustani classical tradition. He was known for his powerful voice, amazing breath control and musical sensibility. A member of the Kirana Gharana (school), he is renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music (bhajans and abhangs).

Pandit Joshi was widely recognized in India for his appearance in the Music video ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’), which begins with him performing ‘Desh raag’. He was the last to receive the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, awarded in 2008.

7. Mataji Nirmala Devi (March 21, 1923 to February 23, 2011)

Nirmala Srivastava, more widely known as Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, died on February 23, 2011, in Genoa, Italy at the age of 87. She was the founder of Sahaja Yoga, a new religious movement. To her devotees she declared that she was the complete incarnation of the Adi Shakti and she is now adored as such in over 140 countries.

8. Shammi Kapoor (October 21, 1930 - August 14, 2011)

Bollywood actor Shammi Kapoor (Shamsher Raj Kapoor) died of kidney failure on August 14, 2011 in Mumbai. He made his Bollywood debut in 1953 with the film Jeevan Jyoti and was one of the most popular actors till seventies. His hit films are Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Junglee, Dil Tera Diwana, Professor, China Town, Rajkumar, Kashmir Ki Kali, Janwar, Teesri Manzil, An Evening in Paris, Bramhachari, Andaz and Vidhaata.

He received the Filmfare Best Actor Award in 1968 for his performance in Brahmachari and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Vidhaata in 1982. His last film before his death was Rockstar. Son of Prithviraj Kapoor, Shami hails from the kapoor dynasty, the leading family of Indian cinema.

9. Arjun Singh (November 5, 1930 - March 4, 2011)

Ex- Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Arjun Singh died of heart attack on March 4, 2011. He was the Union Minister of Human Resource Development in the Manmohan Singh cabinet from 2004 to 2009.  He was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for three times and a Union minister and the Governor of Punjab once for a short period.

As Governor of Punjab, he worked for the Rajiv-Longwal Accord for peace in Punjab. Arjun Singh was also a minister in the P.V. Narasimha Rao cabinet but he resigned after the Babri Masjid demolition. He was awarded the outstanding  Parliamentarian Award in 2000.

10. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (January 5, 1941 - September 22, 2011)

Former captain of the Indian cricket team, Mansoor Ali Khan, nicknamed Tiger Pataudi, died of respiratory failure in Delhi on September 22. He was the ninth Nawab of Pataudi until 1971, when India abolished royal entitlements through the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.

Mansoor became the youngest India captain at 21 years and led the team to its first-ever Test win abroad against New Zealand in Dunedin in 1968, and the first Test series triumph on the same tour. He is survived by his wife actor Sharmila Tagore, son Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and daughter actor Soha Ali Khan.

Besides these persons, the other eminent persons who also died in 2011 are – Ex-Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhajan Lal on 3rd June, Ex-Arunachal Pradesh chief Minister Dorjee Khandu on April 30, Assamese Musician Padma Bhusan Bhupen Hazarika, Editor of Mid-Day Jyotirmaya Dey on June 11, Bollywood actor Navin Nischol on March 19 and Bollywood actor Bob Christo on March 20.

ડાયાબિટીસનું રૂપિયા ૨૦ હજાર કરોડનું દવાબજાર !

ડાયાબિટીસ-ની દવાઓ જબરી આડ અસરો કરે છે. વધુ પડતી ચિંતા, ગમગીની, નિરાશા અને વ્યગ્રતા થકી ડાયાબિટીસ થાય છે. ડાયાબિટીસનો ઇલાજ તમારા મનમાં છે બહાર નથી. મન શાંત રાખો અને વધુ આધ્યાત્મિક બનો.

આજથી ૨૪૭૦ વર્ષ પહેલાં એલોપથીના પિતામહ ગણાતા ગ્રીક તબીબ હિપોક્રેટસે કહેલું કે કુદરતે તમારું શરીર રચ્યું ત્યારે એ શરીરમાં જ રોગને સારા કરવાની આંતરિક શક્તિ આપી છે. પરંતુ તમે ખોટા ખાનપાનથી અને ખોટા વિહારથી રોગ પેદા કરી પછી એલોપથિક દવા લો ત્યારે કુદરત પણ હાથ ધોઈ નાખે છે. આજે ડોક્ટરો, દવા કંપનીઓને સૌથી જાલીમ રોગ જે ગરીબ-તવંગરને એક સરખો થાય છે. તે ડાયાબિટીસ છે.

ફાઈઝરને ડાયાબિટીસના રોગીની ચિંતા નથી પરંતુ જગતભરમાં ડાયાબિટીસના દર્દીઓમાં સૌથી વધુ ૬.૨૫ કરોડ જેટલા દર્દી ભારતમાં છે અને હજી બીજા એટલા જ ૨૦ વર્ષમાં ડાયાબિટીક પેશન્ટ ઉમેરાશે તેમાંથી ફાઈઝરને કમાણી કરવી છે. દરેક ડાયાબિટીસની દરેક એલોપથિક દવા આડ અસર કરે છે. ખાનપાનમાં સંયમ, માનસિક શાંતિ અને આયુર્વેદની ઔષધીથી જ ડાયાબિટીસ દૂર થાય.

ડાયાબિટીસની દવાઓ જે યુરોપ-અમેરિકામાં હાડય હાડય થઈ છે અને જબરી આડ અસરો કરે છે તે દવા ફાઈઝર અને બીજી મલ્ટિનેશનલ કંપનીઓ ભારતમાં વેચવા માંડી છે.ભારતમાં તો પોપાબાઈનું રાજ છે એટલે અહીં ડાયાબિટીસની દવા વેચવા ફાઈઝરે તેનું આક્રમક માર્કેટિંગ શરૂ કર્યું છે. ફાઈઝર કંપની ઘણી નવી દવાઓના અખતરા ગરીબ દેશમાં કરતાં પકડાઈ ગઈ છે. તેની ઘણી દવાઓની આડ અસરો માટે ફાઈઝરને અબજો રૂપિયાના દંડ થયો છે. એ તો ફાઈઝરના કાનખજૂરાના એક પગ જેવડી વાત છે. કઈ રીતે? તે માટે ફાઈઝરની જન્મપત્રિકા જોવી પડશે.

આજે એ-ટુ-ઝેડ તમામ રોગોની દવા બનાવનારી ફાઈઝર ૧૮૪૯માં બે પિતરાઈ ભાઈઓ ચાર્લ્સ ફાઈઝર (અમેરિકન) અને જર્મનભાઈ ચાર્લ્સ એરહાર્ડએ ન્યુયોર્કમાં સ્થાપી. બ્રુકલીન વિસ્તારના એક બિલ્ડિંગમાં નાનકડો ખૂણો ભાડે લઈને તેમાં કોલેરા કે ઊલટી સામેનું રક્ષણ કરવા સેન્ટોનીન નામની એન્ટિપરેસિટિક દવા પ્રથમ બનાવી. ખાસ કરીને ત્યારે મેલેરિયાનો ઉપદ્રવ હતો તે માટેની આ દવા હતી. જોકે, આ દવા એક જબ્બર તિકડમ હતું.

માત્ર લીંબુનો રસ પીઓ તોપણ ચાલે. સેન્ટોનીન દવા એ માત્ર સાઈટ્રિક એસિડ હતો. આ દવા સફળ થઈ પછી પ્રથમ વિશ્વયુદ્ધમાં સાઈટ્રિક એસિડની ડિમાન્ડ વધી અને બીજા વિશ્વયુદ્ધમાં અમેરિકાના સૈનિકો હજારોની સંખ્યામાં ઘવાયા. તેનાથી ફાઈઝરને માટે ટંકશાળ ખૂલી. તે માટે ફાઈઝરે પેનેસિલિનની દવા ૧૯૪૦ના દાયકામાં બનાવી. તેનું નામ તેણે ટેરામાઈસિન આપ્યું અને તેમાંથી અબજો ડોલરની કમાણી થઈ.

અમેરિકામાં ગાયો અને મરઘાં-બતકાંનું પાલન જંગી રીતે થતું હતું. તેના રોગની દવા પણ ફાઈઝરે બનાવવા માંડી અને ૧૯૫૯માં ૭૦૦ એકર જમીન લઈ ત્યાં સંશોધનની ઓફિસ ખોલી. બસ એ પછી તો ફાઈઝરે દરેક દેશની સરકારો અને ડોક્ટરોને સાધીને બેલ્જિયમ, બ્રાઝીલ, કેનેડા, કયુબા, ઇરાન, મેક્સિકો, પનામા, પુટોgરીકો, તુર્કી અને યુનાઈટેડ કિંગડ્મ એમ એ-ટુ-ઝેડ દેશોમાં પોતાનાં કારખાનાં કે ઓફિસ સ્થાપ્યાં. બસ પછી તો લિપિટોર નામની ભયંકર આડ અસર કરનારી હૃદયરોગની દવા તેમજ નપુંસકતાના ઇલાજ માટેની વાયગ્રામાંથી કમાણીનો વરસાદ વરસ્યો.

લિપિટોર નામની હૃદયરોગની દવાનું જગતભરમાંથી ૧૨.૪ અબજ ડોલરનું તત્કાળ વેચાણ મળ્યું પણ પછી ભાંડો ફૂટયો કે આ દવાથી લિવર બગડે છે, પેશાબમાં તકલીફ થાય છે, અનિદ્રા તેમજ ગર્ભવતીના ગર્ભને નુકસાન કરે છે તેવું ભોપાળું બહાર પડ્યું. તેણે પૈસાને જોરે અને માર્કેટિંગના તિકડ્મથી ઘણી હરીફ દવા કંપની જેવી કે જી. ડી. સુર્લે, પાર્ક ડેવીસ, અપજહોન કંપની, વાયેથ કંપની અને ખાસ તો વોર્નર લેમ્બર્ટ નામની કમાઉ કંપની જેવી કંપનીઓ ખરીદી અને આ કંપનીના સહયોગથી રેઝુલીન નામની દવા ડાયાબિટીક દર્દીને આપવા માંડી.

અમેરિકાના ડ્રગ્ઝ ખાતામાં વગ વાપરીને આ દવા માત્ર છ મહિનામાં ઝડપથી (ફાસ્ટ ટ્રેક એપ્રુવલ) મંજુર કરાવી.આ દવાથી આડ અસર તરીકે ડઝન બંધ મરણ થયા. રેઝુલીનથી હૃદય પર અસર થવા માંડી, એનેમિયા અને બ્લડપ્રેશર વગેરે અનેક રોગો ડાયાબિટીસની દવાથી જ થયા. હવે ભારતમાં આ રેઝુલીન નામની ડાયાબિટીસની દવા જે અમેરિકામાં હાડય હાડય થઈ છે તે જુદી બ્રાન્ડથી ભારતમાં ફાઈઝરે ઘુસાડી છે કે નહીં તે જોવાનું છે. કારણ કે ભારતમાં કોઈ પૂછનાર નથી.

ડાયાબિટીસની દરેક દવા (આયુર્વેદિક સિવાય) આડ અસર કરે છે. બ્રિટનમાં રેઝુલીન લેનારા ડાયાબિટીસના ૪૩૦ દર્દીનાં લિવર ફેલ ગયેલાં, ઘણાનાં વૃષણ સાવ ઉંદરડી જેવાં થઈ ગયાં. માથે ટાલ પડી ગઈ. ફાઈઝરે અનેક દવાઓ ભૂતકાળમાં પૂરા ટેસ્ટિંગ વગર ગરીબ દેશોમાં ઘુસાડી છે પણ રુમેટીઝમની દવા નામે ટોફાસિટિનીબ નામની દવા યુરોપમાં ઘુસાડી ત્યાં ચાર મરણો તત્કાળ થયાં અને ત્યાં ફાઈઝરે મારે ખાધો. ઘણા દાવા થયા. ડાયાબિટીસની રેઝુલીન નામની દવાથી ૨૦૦૩માં અમેરિકામાં ૩૧ મરણો થયાં અને ફાઈઝરે કરોડો ડોલરના દાવા ભરપાઈ કરવા પડ્યા.

તમને ડાયાબિટીસ હોય કે ન હોય આ લેખ અહીં સુધી વાંચ્યો હોય તો સુવર્ણ વાક્ય લખી લો કે વધુ પડતી ચિંતા, ગમગીની, નિરાશા અને વ્યગ્રતા થકી ડાયાબિટીસ થાય છે તેમ ડૉ.. થોમસ વિલિસે વર્ષો પહેલાં કહેલું. માટે ડાયાબિટીસનો ઇલાજ તમારા મનમાં છે બહાર નથી. મન શાંત રાખો અને વધુ આધ્યાત્મિક બનો. ભારતમાં ડાયાબિટીસના દર્દીઓ વધતા જ જાય છે દવા કંપનીના ગઠબંધનથી અમને હે ઈશ્વર બચાવો. ડાયાબિટીસ માટે કુદરતી ઉપચાર કે આયુર્વેદનો જ આશરો લો. નહીંતર દર ત્રણ મહિને કોઈ આશ્રમ કે જંગલમાં ચિંતન માટે ચાલ્યા જાઓ.

Brain Decline starts at 40s: Study

The brain begins to decline at the age of 45 affecting our memory and comprehension skills, claimed a new study. However, the beginning of dementia can be delayed by living a healthy lifestyle.

Researchers said that the reasoning and comprehension skills start deteriorated at 40s. The study published online by the British Medical Journal suggested that a healthy heart is good for the brain.

In fact, the full-blown dementia usually is seen at old age. But the current stressful lifestyle is responsible for decline of the brain much earlier than old age of 60.

The study was conducted over 7,000 civil servants between 1997 and 2007. The subjects were aged between 45 and 70. They were assessed three times on memory, vocabulary and aural and visual comprehension skills.

The assessment showed that the cognitive scores declined in all categories and the faster decline was noticed in older people. While 3.6 per cent decline was recorded in mental reasoning in men aged 45 between 49, 9.6 per cent decline in aged 65-70 and the decline was noticed in women categories were 3.6 per cent and 7.4 per cent respectively.

However, the decline can be delayed if the lifestyle will be improved at the age of 40. People, who are suffering from risk of heart disease, can avoid such brain decline by following a healthy lifestyle.

પત્ની ને ખુશ રાખવાના ઉપાયો

આમ તો માનનીય બ્રહ્માજીએ અમુક એવા મોડેલટેસ્ટીંગ વગર નીચે ધરતી પર મોકલી આપ્યા છે   કે ઉપરથી ભગવાન આવીને લાખ પ્રયત્ન કરે તો પણ કોઈ વાતે ખુશ ના થાય.   પણ પડ્યું પાનું નિભાવીલેવું એ ભારતીય સંસ્કૃતિ છે, અને પુરુષે આ પોતાનીપત્નીને ખુશ   રાખવા વિષયે યથાશક્તિ પ્રયત્ન કરવો જોઈએ. તો અહી પત્નીને ખુશ રાખવાના થોડાક   ઉપાય બતાવ્યા છે. એ તમારે જાણવા જોગ. 1. તમે તમારી પત્ની સાથે વાતચીત કરતા હોવત્યારે વચ્ચે ના બોલો 2. સવારે ઓફિસ જતા મોજા જાતે શોધી લો 3. ઓફિસથી ઘેર આવીને મોજા બાથરુમમાં જાતે ધોવાનાખો 4. સાસુ સસરા કે કોઇ પણ પિયરીઆ ઘેર આવે તો એક નકલી પૂછડી ચોટાડી જોર જોરથી હલાવો     (પણ એમને ચાટવાની કોશિશ ન કરશો!) 5. એ બીજા શહેરની હોય તો એના શહેરની કોઇ પણ ખુબી શોધી એના વખાણ કરો      (અરે, આ તો શાયરોનુ શહેરનહી? પેલા કવિ “બેવકુફ” અહીનાં જ નહીં?) 6. એની કોઇ પણ સહેલીના રુપના વખાણ ક્યારેય ન કરો 7. એની સહેલી ઘેર આવી હોય તો ડ્રોઇંગ રૂમમાંવારે ઘડીયે આંટા ન મારો 8. એની મમ્મીની રસોઇના વખાણ કરો 9. “હું કેવી લાગુ છુ” નો પ્રમાણિકપણે જવાબ આપવો શકય ના હોય તો એમ કહો કે    “આજે તો તું સાવ જૂદી જ લાગે છે” 10. એના મામાની સરકારમાં બહુ પહોંચ છે એવુ કહો, સાસુ પણ ખુશ રહેશે 11. "તારા પપ્પા બહુ સોશિયલ છે” એવુ મહિને ઓછામા ઓછુ એક વાર કહો 12. ટીવી જોતી વખતે : “અરે, જોતો, આ કેટરિના એ તારા જેવી જ હેરસ્ટાઇલ કરી છે” એવુ કહો. 13. તમારી વાત ટુંકમાં કરો. 14. એના પિયરિયાનો ફોન હોય અને “આજે શાક કેવીરીતે દાઝી ગયુ?” એ વિષય પર લાંબી વાતચીત      ચાલતી હોય તો તમે તમારા અગત્યના કામ પડતા મુકી ધીરજપુર્વક એ ફોન પુરો થાય ત્યાં સુધી રાહ જુઓ. 15. જમવા બેસતી વખતે પાણી જાતે ભરી લો 16. એની વાત ધ્યાન પુર્વક સાંભળો છો એવુ એટલીસ્ટ બતાવો તો ખરા જ. 17. એ કશુ કહેવા આવે તો છાપુ બાજુ પર મુકી વાતસાંભળો. 18. એ વાત કહેતી હોય ત્યારે ટી.વી. મ્યુટ કરી દો! 19. ક્રિકેટ મેચ સાથે ચાલતા હોય તે ચેનલ મુકો. એ જો ભુલે ચુકે સામો વિવેક કરે તો એમ કહો કે       “મેચ તો રોજ આવેછે” 20. એ એમ કહે કે “આજે બહુ ગરમી છે” તો પંખો ફાસ્ટ કરો યાર! 21. એ એમ કહે કે “આજે બહુ થાકી ગઇ છુ ” તો તરત કહો કે “ચાલ, આજે બહાર જમવા જઇએ” 22. એ એમ કહે કે “આજે રસોઇ કરવાનો મુડ નથી”તો તરત કહો કે “સાચુ કહુ, હું તો પીઝા મંગાવવાનુ       જ વિચારતો હતો” 23. વાત વાતમાં એના સોગંદ ખાવ (તારા સમ, તુ સાચે આજે જુદી લાગે છે!) 24. બેડરુમમાં બામની વાસ સહન ના થાય તો ફરિયાદ કર્યા વગર કોક દિવસ ડ્રોઇંગરુમમા સુઇ જાવ. 25. કોઇ પણ ફરિયાદ કરવી હોય તો સીધી નહીપણ આડકતરી રીતે કરો જેમ કે: દાળ પાણી જેવીહોય તો       “આજે દાળ કંઇક જુદી જ હતી!” અને રોટલી કાચી બને તો “આ વખતે ઘંઉ સારા નથી આવ્યા” એમ કહો. નોંધ: ૧) આ ઉપાયો અંગે લખનાર કોઈ ગેરેંટી નથી આપતા,તેમજ ઉપાય કારગત ના નીવડે તો આ અંગે કોઈ      પણ પ્રકારની તકરાર કરાવી નહિ. ૨) આ ઉપાયો મેં અજમાવેલા છે કે નહિ તેવો બેવકુફ જેવો પ્રશ્ન કરવો નહિ. બેવકુફ જેવા પ્રશ્નો પૂછવાની      પેટન્ટ મારીપાસે છે. ૩) ઉપરના ઉપાયો પર પિષ્ટપેષણ કરી સમય બગાડવો નહિ. એટલા સમયમાં પત્નીની ઘણી      સેવા થઇ શકે છે. ૪) કુંવારાઓ માટે શું? એવા વાહિયાત સવાલો અહી ન કરવા.