calicut university results, calicut university exam results 2009


Calicut University Results 2009 | Calicut University Results at www.universityofcalicut.info

Calicut University is one of the best University of South India. Calicut University offers many degree/diploma courses likes MBA/MCA/Bcom/Bsc/BA/Btech/Bpharm and many more.

Few month ago Calicut University took the Calicut University Exams 2009. Now Calicut University has declared the Calicut University Results 2009. You can find your Calicut University Results 2009 from the website of Calicut University - www.universityofcalicut.info. this time the Calicut University Results 2009 are quite low. Just enter your RollNo to get your Calicut University Results 2009.

Goto the Calicut University Results 2009 page:

Calicut University Results 2009 - http://www.universityofcalicut.info/

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D.Ed Results

D.Ed Results - Diploma in Education, Maharashtra

MAHARASHTRA STATE COUNCIL OF EXAMINATIONS
17, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Pune-400001
MSCE website : http://msce.mah.nic.in/ [link]

MSCE Exam - msce.mah.nic.in, MSCE results - mahresult.nic.in

Maharashtra State Council of Examinations is an autonomous body (body corporate) established by school Education Department, Govt. of Maharashtra under the special Act “Maharashtra State Council of Examinations Act 1998”. The MSCE is entrusted with the duty of conduct and organisation of various examinations of School Education Deptt. ranging from Primary to Professional stages, like Scholarship Examinations and Professional Examinations like D.Ed., GCC & departmental examinations for the employees of the School Education, Higher Education and cultural Deptt.

For more information on Procedure to submit application form, Syllabus, Examination and Recruitment procedure, visit MSCE webisite.

For results - MAHARASHTRA EXAMINATION RESULT, 2008, visit the MSCE results website given below.
website : http://mahresult.nic.in/ [link]


Latest results
Merit list for Prathmik Shikshan Sevak Prerecruitment Centralized Examination 2008
Announced on November 17, 2008 at 11:00 Hrs

tags: www.msce.mah.nic.in, mahresult.nic.in, MSCE exam results

Maharashtra State Council of Examinations
Diploma In Education (D.Ed.)

D.Ed. Exams are conducted twice in a year by M.S.C.E. Pune.
Main Exam: Generally in the month of October or November
Supplementary Exam: for repeater candidates

D.Ed Results, Maharashtra
Visit MSCE website for latest updates on Diploma in Teacher Education (D.Ed.) Examination Result.

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The Neighborhood Ball

It looked a little like a "Soul Train" special, but "Neighborhood Ball: An Inaugural Celebration" that took up prime time Tuesday was in fact not only an official inauguration ball, but the first to be attended by the first couple.


Described as the first inauguration ball opened to the people (at least since Andy Jackson), it was also the first ball in memory on a broadcast network, and its pedigree of stars made it pretty good entertainment regardless of your politics.

It began with Will.I.Am, who has popped up for every Obama occasion since well before Wolf Blitzer beamed him down via hologram election night., doing "A Brand New Day," which became a theme of the night.

Mary J. Blige got things moving with "Just Fine." Other than token rock band Maroon 5, it was a high octane R&B night.

And because of its placement in the order of presidential appearance, it peaked a bit early. Immediately after Mariah Carey did "Hero" in a gown cut as deep as the Dow, out came Barack and Michelle Obama to greet the crowd.

Everybody expects his every utterance to be Lincoln-quality. But the first words out of his mouth was: "How good lookin' is my wife?"

Hey, it was his party.

"We got the idea for the neighborhood ball, we are neighborhood people and I cut my teeth doing neighborhood work," he said.

He encouraged those present to use their energy to pitch in and volunteer. "I need you the next four years," he said, "and who knows after that?"

Then he took his wife on a twirl to his chosen song, "At Last," as sung by Beyonce, full of emotion. He'd dance to instrumental versions of "At Last" at subsequent ball stops.

Beyonce was introduced by Denzel Washington who stood in a gaggle of celebs that included Faith Hill, Sting and his wife and Diddy and his mom.

While the couple was there, they had the big all-star moment halfway through the telecast, with Will.I.Am, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Faith Hill and Sting helping Stevie Wonder sing his hit "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" to which the president attempted his boogie with ball-goers. (his farewell after this song was cut and tacked to the end of the broadcast, as if he stuck around for the whole thing when he clearly did not).

The show went on anyway - Ray Romano did a little stand up comedy; Jay-Z performed his stately "History," Alicia Keys, sang a great "No One" the same way she has for more than a year, starting at a piano and then tearing up as she walked away from it. Its chorus of "everything's going to be all right" resonated but she looked a little sad the new presndent was there to hear her sing it.


You got the idea the talent pool was running dry by the time acrobats Anti-Gravity came on to bounce around on springs. Yeah, it was the same act they used to lose on "America's Got Talent."

But out came Shakira in a strapless gown so slinky she couldn't do her patented moves while doing a bouncy remake of Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road."

It was one of two Van Morrison songs of the night, as it happened. That's because the Bidens' chosen song to dance to was his "Have I Told You Lately" (sung by some off screen singer as if they were on "Dancing with the Stars").

Biden briefly addressed the crowd as if he were Mister Rogers: "Welcome to the neighborhood."

As he started to ramble on, he admitted, "The reason I want to keep talking is I can't dance."

Stevie Wonder came out to do another song; Faith Hill sang her "If My Heart Had Wings," and Sting did his own "Brand New Day" with Wonder reprising his role on the original recording, playing harmonica.

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JASON WU

Michelle Obama Steps Out in Jason Wu Gown for Inaugural Balls

Michelle Obama celebrated her husband Barack Obama's Inauguration in a dazzling white, one-shouldered Jason Wu gown.
"Michelle Obama once more does something new and fresh [by] working with an emerging fashion star and turning Jason Wu overnight into a household name," Us Weekly fashion director Sasha Charnin Morrison says.
"This type of dress shape/silhouette is something that's completely unexpected. [It's] vibrant and aspirational, full and gorgeous," Charnin Morrison adds. "No one else in the past would have been this striking, this ravishing or been able to pull this look off. She's bringing sexy back."

Look back at famous Inaugural Ball gowns.
Michelle also donned a $3,510 dress made from the 26-year-old Taiwan-born designer for a November interview with Barbara Walters. The Wall Street Journal reports Wu's evening wear sells for $3,000 to $6,000.
What's in a dress?
Michelle's choice is "a balancing act between being a queen and a commoner," Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a historian who's written about first ladies, told The Dallas Morning News. "The inaugural gown is a metaphor for the first lady role."
He added: "They reflect around the world an image of our country."
Earlier today, Michelle stepped out in a gold sheath and matching jacket from Cuban-born designer Isabel Toledo for Barack's swearing-in ceremony. To stay warm in the 30-degree weather, she paired her outfit with olive green gloves from one of her fave shops, J. Crew.
(Her daughters also wore threads from the chain shop to their dad's Inauguration. Malia chose a royal blue jacket, while Sasha bundled-up in a pale pink coat.)
See how famous designers would have dressed Michelle Obama for the Inauguration.
Meanwhile, the president hit the town in a custom tuxedo made by Chicago-based designer Hart Schaffner Marx. (The brand's suits typically retail at Nordstrom for about $895.) Obama hasn't purchased a tux in 15 years, it's been reported.
Look back at photos of Michelle Obama's style on the campaign trail.
Barack and Michelle are expected to hop between the 10 official balls scheduled for tonight. They shared a first dance to Beyonce's performance of Etta James' "At Last" at the Neighborhood Ball.
See the Obama's family photo album.
But after tonight's glitz and glamour, it's down to business.
The new president called America "in the midst of crisis" between the economy woes and war in his speech from the Capitol this afternoon -- but promised action.
"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real," he said in front of a crowd of thousands, including celebs Oprah Winfrey and Anne Hathaway. "They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met."

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ncert text books

NCERT Text Books Download - NCERT Class I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, XI, X, XI, XII
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING NCERT has published its text books from class 1 to 12 and made it available online. Students can download the NCERT Textbooks online by visiting the following link [Click here]

Don't forget to install PDF reader to access these ebooks if you dont have one.


TAGS: NCERT Class I text book download online, II text book download online, III text book download online , IV text book download online, V text book download online, VI text book download online, VII text book download online, VIII text book download online, XI text book download online, X text book download online, XI text book download online, XII text book download online, maths, hindi, science, social science, english , sanskrit, urdu, accountancy, physics, chemistry, botany, biology, zoology, psychology, geography, sociology, political science, business studies, heritage crafts, statistics,


Students in a dozen states would read NCERT books in government-run schools from the coming academic session in place of state text books.
Coming a step closer to bring uniformity in curriculum across the country, students in a dozen states would read NCERT books in government-run schools from the coming academic session in place of state text books.
With this, 31.3 per cent of the senior secondary level students across India will study books prepared by NCERT.
This became possible after the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) granted the copyright to 12 states to use its text books in their respective state board schools.

The states are Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Punjab and Goa.
The move to grant copyright is in keeping with the mandate of National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005. Its objective is to bring uniformity in course curriculum across boards and improve the quality of education.
The framework has been ratified by almost all the states.
The move would also do away with any disparities among the state boards and give students enough confidence to compete at the national level with ease, said an NCERT official.
For the record, several state boards have carried out a series of changes in their course curricula in line with the present mandate. The changes include bifurcating the course curriculum at the plus-two level and updating syllabus on a par with CBSE schools.

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preeta bansal

Indian-American Lawyer Preeta Bansal Inducted In Obama's Team


Indian-American lawyer Preeta Bansal has been inducted in the Obama administration on Monday (January 19). Bansal will manage the affairs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the White House as General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor. The appointment of Preeta Bansal came just a day before Obama's taking over as the 44th president of US. Barack Obama's swift recruitment of several members of his administration clarifies his determination and urgency of tackling the economic crisis.

Earlier it was expected that Preeta Bansal will be made Solicitor General in the Obama Administration. The newly appointed official of Obama administration, Bansal has enough experience and credibility as she been a Commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, serving as Chair from 2004-2005.

Apart from presiding over a nationally acclaimed Commission study on DHS’s procedures for expedited removal of US asylum seekers, Bansal participated in US diplomatic missions to several countries. She has the experience of visiting Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, Vietnam, Turkey, Hong Kong, and South Asia. Preeta Bansal also offered her service as Solicitor General of the State of New York from 1999-2002.

During her service, Bansal helped supervise the legal positions of 600 attorneys in the New York Attorney General’s office. She also served in the Office of Policy Development and Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice from 1993-1996 and as a Special Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel. Before becoming a law clerk to Justice John Paul Stevens of the United States Supreme Court, she attained a J.D., magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and an A.B., magna cum laude from Harvard-Radcliffe College.

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oracle dba

Opening in MICHIGAN, Sr. Oracle Applications DBA

This is a long term 3+ year project with direct client.
Location: MICHIGAN
Immediate interviews with end client

REQUIREMENTS:
• Sr. Oracle Applications DBA will be responsible for implementing many concurrent instances of Oracle EBS 12, Fusion Middleware and Oracle database 10g.
• Responsibility includes creating high availability environment using Oracle Real Application Clustering, 10g Grid, RMAN, Flashback Query, ASM, Diagnostics, Tuning, Configuration and Provisioning Pack.
• Must have hands on Oracle Applications R12, 10g Database RAC, OEM, Datagaurd, RMAN, OPP set up and XML Publisher parameters.
• Experience with OEM and JVM settings.
• Extensive hands on experience with load balancing the applications, cloning, parallel processing, patching.
• Applications DBA Will analyze and implement the physical database design and structure, ensure enterprise database environments are in optimal condition, manage production databases in Client environments, and support complex problem-solving challenges.
• Other duties include creating and reviewing physical data models, coordinating data security and actively supporting test plans/environments, benchmarks and statistics.
• Extensive Oracle EBS 11i/12 implementation experience is a must.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

1) Bachelor’s Degree in a business related area.
2) Strong management and coordination skills (people and project).
3) Good relationship builder (i.e. cooperative approach)
4) Proven experience in complex ERP environment.
5) Excellent Oracle technical expertise (Oracle certification is a must).

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sania mirza

NEW DELHI: Indian ace Sania Mirza fought hard before going down to 10th seed Russian Nadia Petrova in the second round of the Australian Open
on Wednesday
Petrova defeated Sania 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets to move into the third round. Petrova had to struggle before sealing the first set 6-3 in her favour.

Sania was little rusty initially as she made 12 unforced errors as compared to her opponents 10. Sania made three double faults in the opening set while Petrova had none to her name.

Sania bounced back to hold her serve in the second set while Petrova levelled it 1-1. Sania again held her serve to lead 2-1.
Sania had a good chance of breaking Petrova's serve in the fourth game as she led 40-15 but she lost the plot completely and Petrova came back strong to hold her serve.

Petrova kept her cool to break Sania's serve 0-40 in the next game and then went on to hold her serve to lead 4-2 in the second set.

Petrova gained full control over the proceedings as she clinched the following game also by once again breaking Sania' serve to take an unassailable lead of 5-2.

Earlier on Monday, Sania Mirza survived a late onslaught from world number 61 Marta Domachowhska to move into the second-round.

The unseeded Indian got past Domachowhska 6-1, 6-4 in the first round while Nadia beat Kazakhstan Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 7-6 (3) in her opening round match.

The 22-year-old Sania made her return to competitive tennis after a four-month injury lay-off. This was the third meeting between Sania and Petrova. Sania beat her in straight sets on hardcourts in 2005, while she went down to Petrova on grass at Wimbledon
in 2007.

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OBAMA OATH Ceremony

The Speech and the Ceremony: Liveblogging the Livebloggers

-Michael Tomasky at the Guardian: “If the speech was mildly underwhelming, I suppose I’d say this. There were many times during the campaign when I, and other political junkies of my acquaintance, thought Obama was screwing something up. A week or a month later, we almost invariably saw that maybe he was right after all. So maybe he thought, let’s put the poetry on the shelf. It’s time now to get to work. He’s got a lot of that ahead of him, so it’s understandable I suppose if that, not rhetoric, is what is foremost in his mind.”

-Jason Zengerle at the Plank: “This is obviously Obama’s day, but the moment I’ll most remember from the Inauguration is Joseph Lowery slowly walking up to the dais–looking so old and bent that I worried he might not make it there–and then delivering a benediction that was lyrical, funny, and, by the sheer fact that he was delivering it, the most powerful symbol of just how far we as a country have come. Unbelievable.”

-Ben Smith at Politico.com: “A well-placed Republican operative emails: ‘As I watched Biden take the oath of office, I thanked God that it was not Sarah Palin up there.’ ”
-Michael Knox Beran at The Corner: “A home run, very different in its emphases from ‘The Audacity of Hope’; much graver, more sober, and (in a good way) backward-looking. A speech like this should be, as the new president said, about ‘who we are’ as Americans and how it is incumbent upon us to be ‘keepers of the legacy.’ I was struck by the allusiveness of the address, the degree to which he worked with what he called ‘founding documents.’ ”
-Matt Cooper: “A tremendous moment. No one killer line and far more martial and hawkish than I would have guessed.”
-Ann Althouse revises her oath-parsing analysis: “I listened again to the oath. In fact, Roberts puts ‘faithfully’ after ‘President of the United States’ the first time as well as the second.”
-For students of rhetoric, Marc Ambinder has posted a two-part classical dissection of Obama’s inaugural address, pointing out which part is the “exhoridum,” which the “narratia” and which the “partition.” Part one and part two.
-Slate: ” ‘His penmanship is really excellent.’ ” Fawningest CNN comment thus far? From Blitzer, of course.”
-Ann Althouse: “The Chief Justice in fact screwed up the oath. . . Roberts left out the word ‘faithfully.’ (He also said ‘President to the United State.’) Obama saw the mistake and stopped himself to gave Roberts a chance to fix it. Roberts redid the line, remembering to throw in ‘faithfully,’ but putting it in the wrong place — after President of the United States — and, this time, Obama went along with the wording. Close enough, I guess he figured. I wonder what Barack Obama was thinking. Maybe: Some textualist you turned out to be!
-The White House Blog: “Change has come to WhiteHouse.gov”
-Cliff May, National Review: “Obama is not spending a moment dancing in the end zone. He’s focusing on problems and the need for renewed energy and determination in solving them. Most of what he is saying could just as easily have been said by John McCain or Mitt Romney—or Ronald Reagan. There will be many disagreements with him in the months and years ahead. But Americans have chosen an extraordinary individual to lead this extraordinary nation.”
-David Frum: “Obama aides have been signaling that the speech would be familiar. That was understood to mean that it would echo Obama’s own past words. Instead, it’s familiar because it seems to evoke every oft-expressed thought and repeat so many well-worn phrases. If you have prosaic things to say, better to follow Ronald Reagan’s example in 1981 and use the language of prose. This is a stumble, an over-reach that wishes to be remembered as bigger and better than it was.”
-Patrick Ruffini: “Not one of Obama’s best speeches, but very interesting he is trying to give a stemwinder. Good.”
-Slate: Most frequent words in Obama speech besides ‘the,’ ‘and,’ ‘of,’ ‘to,’ and the like: ‘our’ (62 times), ‘we’ (50x), ‘us’ (23x).”
-Ta-Nehisi Coates: I think I’ve heard too many Obama speeches. I’m unmoved. It’s not his fault.He sounds awesome as ever. But I’ve seen this too many times, I think.
-Andrew Sullivan: “Oh, Aretha: The phrasing of her first line was priceless. Warren? Not so much.”
-Matt Yglesias: “Why is Rick Warren poaching from the shema?”
-David Frum: “I don’t know if anybody else appreciated the use of Jesus’ Hebrew name by Rick Warren, but I liked it.”
-David Frum: “War first – economy second – on the list of national concerns. Climate change in the main body of the speech, unprecedented. But what’s this? Not a malaise speech?”
-Michelle Malkin: “Good news: They didn’t bring out the fake Greek columns from the Dem convention.”

Obama parades to White House after historic oath
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasped the reins of power as America's first black president on Tuesday, declaring the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord" to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
In frigid temperatures, an exuberant crowd of more than a million packed the National Mall and parade route to celebrate Obama's inauguration in a high-noon ceremony. Waving and cheering in jubilation, they stretched from the inaugural platform at the U.S. Capitol toward the Lincoln Memorial in the distance.
With 11 million Americans out of work and trillions of dollars lost in the stock market's tumble, Obama emphasized that his biggest challenge is to repair the tattered economy left behind by outgoing President George W. Bush.
"Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed," Obama said. "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America."
It was a day of high spirits — jarred by sudden concern about the health of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a legendary Democrat who is suffering from brain cancer. He suffered an apparent seizure at a Senate luncheon in honor of Obama. "This is a joyous time but it's also a sobering time," Obama said. "And my prayers are with him and his family and (Kennedy's wife) Vicki."
As Kennedy was put into an ambulance, he told Senate colleague Chris Dodd, D-Conn., "I'll be OK, I'll see you later," according to Dodd.
Obama wove a thread of personal responsibility and accountability through his inaugural address. He spoke of a "new era of responsibility" and alluded to the inability — or unwillingness — of Americans to adjust to the passing of an industrial-based economy. "Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age," he said.
After four hours of pomp and ceremony at the Capitol, Obama and his wife, Michelle, rode in a tall, heavily armored Cadillac limousine along the 1.5 mile parade route to the White House. To the delight of cheering onlookers, the Obamas got out and walked down several blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue, waving to people kept behind police baricades.
Two years after beginning his improbable quest as a little-known, first-term Illinois senator with a foreign-sounding name, Obama moved into the Oval Office as the nation's fourth-youngest president, at 47, and the first African-American, a barrier-breaking achievement believed impossible by generations of minorities.
He said it was a moment to recall "that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." In another racial reference, he paid tribute to workers in the past who "endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth."
Obama's election was cheered around the world as a sign that America will be more embracing, more open to change. "To the Muslim world," Obama said, "we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."
Still, he bluntly warned, "To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."
"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist," Obama said in his address, which ran 18 1/2 minutes.
A mighty chorus of cheers erupted as he stepped to the inaugural platform, a midday sun warming the crowd that had waited for hours in the cold. There were some boos when Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney came onto the platform.
The dawn of the new Democratic era — with Obama allies in charge of both houses of Congress — ends eight years of Republican control of the White House by Bush, who leaves Washington as one of the nation's most unpopular and divisive presidents, the architect of two unfinished wars and the man in charge at a time of economic calamity that swept away many Americans' jobs, savings and homes.
Obama called for a political truce in Washington to end "the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics."
The Senate convened to quickly confirm six members of Obama's Cabinet but put off for a day the approval on his choice to be secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, because Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas objected to the unanimous vote. Those confirmed were Steven Chu to be Energy secretary, Arne Duncan at Education, Janet Napolitano for Homeland Security, Eric Shinseki to head Veterans Affairs, Ken Salazar for Interior and Tom Vilsack to lead the Department of Agriculture.
In his speech, Obama said that all Americans have roles in rebuilding the nation by renewing the traditions of hard work, honesty and fair play, tolerance, loyalty and patriotism.
With the economy in a long and deepening recession, Obama said it was time for swift and bold action to create new jobs and lay a foundation for growth. Congressional Democrats have readied an $825 billion stimulus plan of tax cuts and spending for roads, bridges, schools, electric grids and other projects.
Contradicting the objections of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton to big government, Obama said, "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works."
After the ceremony, Obama and his wife escorted Bush and his wife to a helicopter on the East Front of the Capitol for the trip to nearby Andrews Air Force Base and a flight back home to Texas.
In his remarks, Obama took stock of the nation's sobering problems.
"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood," he said.
"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened. ... Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet."
Outlining goals abroad and putting foes on notice, he declared:
"We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
It was the first change of administrations since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Bush — following tradition — left a note for Obama in the top drawer of his desk in the Oval Office.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said the theme of the message — which Bush wrote on Monday — was similar to what he has said since election night: that Obama is about to begin a "fabulous new chapter" in the United States, and that he wishes him well.
The unfinished business of the Bush administration thrusts an enormous burden onto the new administration, though polls show Americans are confident Obama is on track to succeed. He has cautioned that improvements will take time and that things will get worse before they get better.
Culminating four days of celebration, the nation's 56th inauguration day began for Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden with a traditional morning worship service at St. John's Episcopal Church, across Lafayette Park from the White House. Bells pealed from the historic church's tower.
The festivities weren't ending until well after midnight, with dancing and partying at 10 inaugural balls.
By custom, Obama and his wife, and Biden and his wife, Jill, went directly from church to the White House for coffee with Bush and his wife, Laura. Michelle Obama brought a gift for the outgoing first lady in a white box decorated with a red ribbon.
Shortly before 11 a.m., Obama and Bush climbed into a limousine to share a ride to the Capitol for the transfer of power, an event flashed around the world in television and radio broadcasts, podcasts and Internet streaming.
Just after noon, Obama stepped forward on the West Front of the Capitol to lay his left hand on the same Bible that President Abraham Lincoln used at his first inauguration in 1861. The 35-word oath of office, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, has been uttered by every president since George Washington. Obama was one of 22 Democratic senators to vote against Roberts' confirmation to the Supreme Court in 2005.
The son of a white, Kansas-born mother and a black, Kenya-born father, Obama decided to use his full name in the swearing-in ceremony.
To the dismay of liberals, Obama invited conservative evangelical pastor Rick Warren — an opponent of gay rights — to give the inaugural invocation.
In an appeal for bipartisanship, Obama honored defeated Republican presidential rival John McCain at a dinner Monday night. "There are few Americans who understand this need for common purpose and common effort better than John McCain," Obama said.
On Wednesday, his first working day in office, Obama is expected to redeem his campaign promise to begin the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq under a 16-month timetable. Aides said he would summon the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Oval Office and order that the pullout commence.

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ALLAHABAD BANK RECRUITMENT 2009

Allahabad Bank
(A Government of India undertaking)
Head Office : 2, N. S. Road, Kolkata-700001)
Job Description : Allahabad Bank invites ONLINE applications from Indian Citizens for the posts as follows :
Probationary Officer JMG Scale-I (Rs 10000-18240) : 700 posts
Age : 30 years
Agriculture Field Officer JMG Scale-I (Rs. 10000-18240) : 175 posts
Age : 30 years

Officer - Information Technology JMG Scale-I (Rs 10000-18240) : 50 posts
Age : 30 years
Manager IT MMG Scale-II (Rs 13820-19920) : 50 posts
Age : 35 years
Manager - Law MMG Scale-II (Rs 13820-19920) : 10 posts
Age : 35 years
Manager - Security MMG Scale-II (Rs 13820-19920) : 15 posts
Age : 35 years
Apply : Apply Online. After applying online, take a print out of the system generated registration details and send it with relevant documents and application fee only by Ordinary Post to the designated Post Box Numbers in Mumbai.
Opening of Online Application : 20th December 2008
Last Date for Online Receipt of Applications : 19th January 2009
Date of Written Test for Specialists Officers : 1st March 2009
Date of Written Test for Probationary Officers : 18th March 2009


OFFICERS RECRUITMENT PROJECT 2009

Click here for detailed Advertisement – Probationary Officers & Specialist Officers
Click here for details of Mode of Payment.
Click here to download Payment Receipt Format
Click here to Apply On-Line

CLERICAL RECRUITMENT PROJECT 2009

Click here for detailed advertisement- For the post of Clerk cum Cashiers
Click here to download the Payment Receipt
Click here for details of mode of payment
Click here to apply on-line

CLERICAL RECRUITMENT PROJECT 2008

List of the candidates selected for the post of clerk cum cashier - date of joining 29.12.2008



For Vacancy Details Visit : http://www.allahabadbank.com/recruitment.asp

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TELUGU MOVIE REVIEWS : ARUNDHATI MOVIE REVIEW

The proposed Sankranthi release happened after the festival days. The expectations on the film are on top and let us see how it tuned. The clash between good and evil has been the law of the universe but what happens when an obsession turns dangerous and the will to seek revenge brings out the demons. Something like that happens here and who wins in the end, we will know more details.

Story
Arundhati (Anushka) is engaged to Rahul (Deepak) and is on her way to get married in Hyderabad but far away in Gadwal in an abandoned and ruined castle lies a scary and fearsome voice waiting to come out and take revenge on her.

It is endowed with evil powers and is successful in getting Arundhati to Gadwal, the truth is Arundhati is a descendant of a royal family and her ancestor is Jejamma (Anushka again) who strikes a death blow to her brother in law (Sonu Sood) who is an avid womanizer, rapist and murderer. He survives with the will to seek revenge and learns all the dark magics under Aghora Sadhus, he comes back to take revenge on Arundhati and his lust for her makes him even more dangerous. However, Arundhati is not willing to believe that she is Jejamma but she has no choice since the villain is set free finally and he comes to enjoy her.

In her attempt to thwart him, Arundhati is assisted strongly by the Muslim fakir Anwar (Sayaji Shinde) but then her fear inside gives way. Who gets successful, Arundhati or the villain? Watch the movie to find out.

Performance
Anushka is a total revelation in this one, she has shown once for all to all the critics that it is not just a voluptuous body that she has but a whole range of emotions and expressions to call her a true actress. Few angles of her are wonderful and spellbound. It's a great image make over for her.

Sayaji Shinde was a rocket booster and he has been full of zest and energy in this movie. His scenes are all powerful.

Sonu Sood was dark and evil and his performance was delectable as the evil sorcerer and the black magician.

Manorama provided the matured presence along with Satyanarayana while Ahuti Prasad, Chalapathi Rao, Annapoorna and others have justified their roles.

Deepak did not have much to do in this one, Subhashini was absolutely scary.

The graphics team needs a very special commendation here since they have come out with a really Hollywood style of creation. The script was very well under the grip, screenplay was brilliantly executed. Music really added up to the moods and the cinematography was the life and soul for the film with its angles and captures. Costumes were excellent and editing was sharp.

The other departments contributed effectively to create the required difference. Director has shown his brilliance and experience in handling a one line story into a total two hour plus treat without much idle moments.

Analysis
While the film is a complete socio fantasy genre and it revolves completely around evil spirits and scary saints, one needs to look at it as a film only and not try and reason with the logic.

The content part is less but then it is the presentation and the performance that really made up for any shortcomings. The team has come up with a much enhanced and more impressive graphical treat after 'Ammoru' and this time; the horror aspect was quite high.

The amount of blood shown on the screen could have been reduced but then the seriousness and intensity is so high that everything looks convincing for that frame. The film lacks comedy or any mass elements but then, it has a rich presentation and the grandeur of its style and speed is worthy to be called a super hit. It appears that the Sankranti drought has finally been fulfilled with an exceptional visual treat. Don't miss it!!!

And it's a suggestion for weak hearts to keep away from horror shocks.

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PTU.AC.IN DISTANCE EDUCATION RESULTS

Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar

SEPTEMBER-2008

Punjab Technical University, Jalandharwas established in January 1997 for advancement of technical education & development. The University has under its affiliation 40 Engineering colleges,56Management, 17 Pharmacy colleges ,6 Architecture 2 Hotel Management and 13 colleges imparting courses in Medical Lab Technolgy& IT disciplines. The University has an intake of more than 12700 and total strength of more than 60,000 approx. University has established 12 Regional Centres for M-Tech courses and has establishedschool of Enterprennership 2 TQM asMohali.

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john muir - Print Email Font Resize Former Muir teacher to stand trial in murder case

PASADENA - A former John Muir High School English teacher should be tried on charges of murdering his ex-wife's boyfriend in Arcadia last March, a judge ruled Thursday.

Pasadena Superior Court Judge Laura F. Priver found "sufficient cause" to hold Brandon Michael Landreth, 30, of Pasadena to answer to charges of first degree murder and set an arraignment for Jan. 30.

Citing testimony that Landreth had made threats against another of his ex-wife's lovers, Priver also set Landreth's bail at $5 million.

Landreth pleaded not guilty at his first arraignment in April in the shooting of 25-year-old Justo Cesar Morales at Morales' parents' Canyon Road home in northern Arcadia.

In initial police reports of the crime, a gunman knocked on Morales' front door, then opened fire immediately after Morales opened the door. The gunman then rode off on a skateboard, witnesses told detectives.

Prosecutors outlined the case against Landreth at a preliminary hearing Thursday. A friend of Landreth, Gerald Gracian, and Landreth's ex-wife, Tania, both claimed he had confessed to shooting and killing Morales.

Tania Landreth testified that the defendant had met her on her front lawn in the days after Morales' death and confessed to killing Morales.

"I asked, `Was he in pain?"' she recounted tearfully. "He told me, `He died quickly."'

She also said that Landreth had made threats against Morales' life close to 100 times over the
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course of two years.

Landreth's attorney pointed out that police were unsuccessful in their attempts to tape Landreth's confession by wiring Tania.

He also asked her why she had not gone to the police upon hearing the threats against Morales' life, to which she replied that Landreth had threatened her too.

At a hearing in April, investigators cited items police found inside Landreth's car when officers stopped it in Pasadena on April 2, three days after Morales was shot.

Inside his silver Volkswagen police found camping gear, a backpack full of clothing and other articles, and $9,000 in cash Landreth had withdrawn from his bank, investigators said.

In a search of Landreth's home, authorities recovered a handgun and ammunition. They also found a piece of paper with the address of another possible victim. That man, like Morales, also had dated Landreth's ex-wife, police said.

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How Igneous Rock Is Formed

Igneous rocks are called fire rocks and are formed either underground or above ground. Underground, they are formed when the melted rock, called magma, deep within the earth becomes trapped in small pockets. As these pockets of magma cool slowly underground, the magma becomes igneous rocks.

Igneous rocks are also formed when volcanoes erupt, causing the magma to rise above the earth's surface. When magma appears above the earth, it is called lava. Igneous rocks are formed as the lava cools above ground.

For examples of igneous rocks, take a look at these:

Granite Rocks


Granite rocks are igneous rocks which were formed by slowly cooling pockets of magma that were trapped beneath the earth's surface. Granite is used for long lasting monuments and for trim and decoration on buildings.

See how igneous rocks are formed atIgneous Animation page.

Scoria Rocks

Scoria rocks are igneous rocks which were formed when lava cooled quickly above ground. You can see where little pockets of air had been. Scoria is actually a kind of glass and not a mixture of minerals.
See how igneous rocks are formed at Igneous Animation page.

Pumice Rocks

Pumice rocks are igneous rocks which were formed when lava cooled quickly above ground. You can see where little pockets of air had been. This rock is so light, that many pumice rocks will actually float in water. Pumice is actually a kind of glass and not a mixture of minerals. Because this rock is so light, it is used quite often as a decorative landscape stone. Ground to a powder, it is used as an abrasive in polish compounds and in Lava© soap.

See how igneous rocks are formed at Igneous Animation page.

Obsidian Rocks

Obsidian rocks are igneous rocks that form when lava cools quickly above ground. Obsidian is actually glass and not a mixture of minerals. The edges of this rock are very sharp.

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SATYA SAI BABA

I have come to light the lamp of Love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster. I have not come on behalf of any exclusive religion. I have not come on a mission of publicity for a sect or creed or cause, nor have I come to collect followers for a doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into my fold or any fold. I have come to tell you of this unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this path of Love, this virtue of Love, this duty of Love, this obligation of Love. 4 July 1968, Baba



www.sathyasai.org

Sathya Sai Speaks:Discourses by Sri Sathya Sai Baba[Link]

(http://www.sssbpt.info/english/sss.htm)

Who is Sri Sathya Sai Baba?
“I am God. And you too are God. The only difference between you and Me is that while I am aware of it, you are completely unaware.” This is the answer Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba gives to people who query Him about His identity and divinity. This fundamental truth of man’s divine nature is at the heart of His message and mission. Indeed, in His discourses to devotees, He addresses them as “Embodiments of the Divine Atma”. All who experience His pure and selfless love, and benefit from His illuminating counsel, and witness His miraculous nature get a glimpse of the glory and majesty of God, and therefore of what one potentially and inherently is.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23, 1926 in the village of Puttaparthi, in the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. Even as a child, His spiritual inclination and contemplative nature set Him apart from other children of His age, and He was known as ‘Guru’ and “Brahmajnani’ (knower of Brahman or Godhead) among His peers and others in the village. However, it was not until October 20, 1940, the day He made the historic declaration of His Avatarhood, (Avatar - Divinity Incarnate) that the world at large learnt of this divine phenomenon. Today, millions of devotees from all over the world, professing various faiths, and hailing from various walks of life worship Him as an ‘Avatar’, and an incarnation of the Sai Baba of Shirdi. Thousands gather every day at Prasanthi Nilayam, His ashram established beside the village of Puttaparthi, for His Darshan, when He moves among devotees blessing them and providing spiritual succour and solace.
Revealing the purpose of His Advent, Sai Baba has said that He has come to re-establish the rhythm of righteousness in the world and repair the ancient highway to God, which over the years has systematically deteriorated. In His own words, “This Sai has come in order to achieve the supreme task of uniting the entire mankind as one family through the bond of brotherhood, of affirming and illuminating the Atmic Reality (Atma – The Self) of each being, to reveal the Divine which is the basis on which the entire cosmos rests, and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal and rise up to the Divine, which is the goal.”
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is an integral manifestation who combines two very significant roles. Firstly, He is a great spiritual Master, famed for His simple and sweet exposition of the greatest and most intricate of spiritual truths which form the fundamental teachings of all the religions of the world. Elucidating on His mission, Bhagawan declares “I have come not to disturb or destroy any faith, but to confirm each in his own faith, so that the Christian becomes a better Christian, the Muslim a better Muslim and the Hindu a better Hindu.” His formula for man to lead a meaningful life is the five-fold path of Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanthi (Peace), Prema (Love) and Ahimsa (Non-Violence). Love for God, fear of sin and morality in society – these are His prescriptions for our ailing world.
Secondly, He is an inexhaustible reservoir of pure love. His numerous service projects, be it free hospitals, free schools and colleges, free drinking water supply or free housing projects, all stand testimony to His selfless love and compassion for the needy and less privileged. True to His declaration - “My Life is My Message”, He has inspired and continues to inspire millions of His devotees worldwide by His personal example to live the ideal that service to man is service to God. The Sri Sathya Sai Organization today has a presence in over 167 countries in the world and members undertake group service activities that benefit their immediate community.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is thus a beacon of hope in a world that is desperately seeking an end to the unrest and sorrow prevalent today. His message of “Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God” is a spiritual salve that will lead mankind from the darkness of ignorance to the light of immortality. Indeed, very rarely does such a divine power walk the earth. As one devotee said, “Bhagawan Baba is nothing but Love walking on two feet”. Mankind must use this golden opportunity to follow in His footsteps. That is the way to its redemption and its salvation.
The Concept of Avatarhood
Who is an ‘Avatar’ and why does He incarnate?
Who is an Avatar?
An ‘Avatar’ is defined as an incarnation (physical manifestation) of the Supreme Being. The word ‘Avatar’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Avataranam’ which means ‘descent’, and usually implies a deliberate descent of the Divine into the mortal realms to reveal the Absolute Truth to humanity and remind them of their true divine nature. Though Avatars may appear in different forms at different times, places and circumstances, yet they are all the manifestations of the One Supreme Lord.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Avatar of the Age, has succinctly explained the meaning and the reason for the descent of the Avatar in the following Telugu verse:
“Avatarinchuta yanutalo Arthamemi?
Janulapai Preethi Vaatsalya Paratha thoda
Vaari Sthaayaiki Daivambu Vachchu Bhuviki
Jeeva Prajnatho baatuga Daiva prajna”
He says that Formless God takes a form and descends upon the Earth as an expression of His boundless love and affection towards humanity. The Avatar is an enigmatic, yet delightful blend of individual consciousness and the Divine Consciousness. The Avatar behaves in a human way so that mankind can feel kinship with Him, but rises to His super-human heights so that mankind can aspire to reach those heights.
In Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Sri Krishna, the Avatar of the Dwapara Age, declares thus:
"Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya Glanirbhavathi Bharatha
Abhyukthanam adharmasya Thadathmanam Srujamyaham.”
“Parithranaya Sadhunam Vinashaya cha Dhushkrutham
Dharma samsthapanarthaya Sambhavami Yuge Yuge"
Whenever there is a decline of Righteousness and rise of evil, the Lord incarnates from time to time to uphold Righteousness, to protect the Virtuous and to uproot the evil.
The Avatar appears whenever the world is passing through a spiritual and moral crisis. The Avatar comes in order to uphold Dharma (Righteousness) and raise the universal consciousness.
Why does He incarnate?
One may ask - why should the Lord Himself incarnate? Why should He not set about the task of restoring Dharma through the many minor gods and angels that He has at His command? The Mughal Emperor Akbar once posed the same question before the courtiers, for he scoffed at the Hindu idea of the Formless adopting a Form and descending into the world as an Avatar to save Dharma. Birbal (the celebrated courtier in Akbar’s court, known for his wit and wisdom) asked for a week's time to answer the question. A few days later, when he was in the pleasure boat of the emperor, sailing across the lake with his family, Birbal threw overboard a doll made to look like the emperor's little son, crying at the same time, "O, the prince has fallen into the water!" Hearing this, immediately the emperor jumped into the lake to rescue his son. Birbal then disclosed that it was only a doll and that the prince was safe. He allayed the anger of Akbar by explaining that he had to perforce enact this drama in order to demonstrate the truth of the Hindu belief that God takes human form to save Dharma without commissioning some other entity to carry out that task. Akbar could have ordered one among the many personnel he had on board to jump in and rescue his son. But his affection was so great and the urgency so acute that the emperor himself plunged into the lake to save his son from drowning. The decline in Dharma is so acute a tragedy and the intensity of affection that the Lord has for good men is so great that He Himself comes to the rescue.
The Triune Sai Avatar
The Divine mysteries cannot be fathomed by the human mind, unless God himself chooses to unlock them out of His immense love and compassion. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, in a landmark discourse on 6th July, 1963, the Guru Poornima Day, declared the secret behind His advent. He revealed that the Sai Avatar is a triple incarnation of the Shiva-Shakthi Principle – Shiva as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva and Parvathi embodied as Sri Sathya Sai Baba and the Shakthi Principle that will incarnate as Prema Sai in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka. Click here for the complete text of the Guru Poornima Discourse of 6th July 1963.
Even in His childhood days, Swami used to refer to ‘The Saint of Shirdi’ in the songs that He taught His companions. Very few in that region had ever seen or heard about Shirdi or Sai Baba. Little did they realize that the child in their midst, singing and dancing so captivatingly would, in a few years, make their village another Shirdi to which hundreds and thousands would come seeking the same Baba!
Sai Baba of Shirdi was born in a remote village called Pathri in Maharashtra on September 28, 1835 to the couple, Gangabhavadiya and Devagiriamma. Gangabhavadiya, overcome with a feeling of intense renunciation immediately after the child’s birth, decided to retire into a forest. With Devagiriamma religiously following her husband, the newborn was left in nature’s care. A pious Muslim and his wife took care of the abandoned child till He was four years of age. Then they handed Him over to a spiritual master by name Gopalrao Deshmukh (also known as Venkusa). For 12 years, till 1851, Baba stayed in Sri Venkusa's ashram. One night in 1851, for the first time, Baba came to Shirdi. However, He left after a two month stay. He returned to Shirdi again in 1858 and stayed there for 60 long years. Just prior to His shedding the mortal coil in 1918, Shirdi Baba told some of His devotees that He would reappear in the Madras Presidency in 8 years time. Sri Sathya Sai Baba, born in 1926, declared that He was Shirdi Baba come again.
Sathya Sai Baba invariably refers to Shirdi Baba as 'my previous body' whenever He speaks about Him. He often describes to His devotees, how He in His previous body dealt with people and situations, what illustrations He gave to clarify certain points, what questions were asked, etc. Many devotees of Shirdi Baba have had experiences confirming the unity of the two Sais.

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Australia offers 'best job in world' on paradise island

SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian state is offering internationally what it calls "the best job in the world" -- earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months.
The job pays 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) and includes free airfares from the winner's home country to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland's state government announced on Tuesday.

In return, the "island caretaker" will be expected to stroll the white sands, snorkel the reef, take care of "a few minor tasks" -- and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
The successful applicant, who will stay rent-free in a three-bedroom beach home complete with plunge pool and golf buggy, must be a good swimmer, excellent communicator and be able to speak and write English.
"They'll also have to talk to media from time to time about what they're doing so they can't be too shy and they'll have to love the sea, the sun, the outdoors," said acting state Premier Paul Lucas.
"The fact that they will be paid to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel and generally live the Queensland lifestyle makes this undoubtedly the best job in the world."
Lucas said the campaign was part of a drive to protect the state's 18 billion Australian dollar a year tourism industry during the tough economic climate caused by the global financial meltdown.
"Traditional tourism advertising just doesn't cut it sometimes and we are thinking outside the box by launching this campaign."
Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said some people might question whether it was risky to let an unknown person become an unofficial tourism spokesperson for the state.
"I think the biggest risk will be that the successful candidate won't want to go home at the end of the six months," she said.
"This is a legitimate job which is open to anyone and everyone."
Applications are open until February 22. Eleven shortlisted candidates will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six month contract will commence on July 1.
Job-seekers can apply on .

Islandreefjob.com

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NKorea says it won't give up nuclear weapons

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea said Tuesday it will hold onto its nuclear arsenal until it is satisfied the U.S. is not hiding atomic weapons in South Korea and Washington establishes diplomatic relations with the regime.
The North has long accused Washington of stationing nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula for a possible attack on the communist nation. Both the South and the U.S. deny having nuclear weapons in South Korea.

Regional powers have been trying for years to rid North Korea of its nuclear program, but negotiations have recently stalled. The Foreign Ministry indicated it would consider giving up its nuclear weapons if the U.S. threat is removed and diplomatic relations between the two nations are established.
"We won't need atomic weapons when U.S. nuclear threats are removed, and the U.S. nuclear umbrella over South Korea is gone," the statement said.
The statement comes a week before President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration amid signs that the regime wants good relations with the next U.S. administration. Washington does not have diplomatic ties with the North, but Obama has said he would be willing to meet with leader Kim Jong Il if it helps resolve the nuclear standoff.
The two Koreas, with the South backed by U.S.-led international troops, fought a bitter war from 1950-53 that ended with a truce, not a peace treaty. The rivals technically remain at war and are divided by a heavily fortified border.
After testing a nuclear bomb in 2006, the North agreed to a six-nation pact promising aid in exchange for disarmament. However, the process has been stalled for months over how to verify Pyongyang's past nuclear activities, with the North rejecting Washington's proposed protocol.
The North reiterated its commitment Tuesday to a nuclear weapon-free Korean peninsula. But it said verification must take place at the last stage of the disarmament process — not the second of three phases as the U.S. wants.
"It is necessary to simultaneously verify the whole Korean peninsula," the ministry statement said, indicating that the nuclear talks may continue to be stalled.
The ministry statement came as South Korea prepared to send a team of nuclear experts to the North in Seoul's highest-level visit in nearly a year.
A six-member team of experts led by Seoul's No. 2 envoy to North Korea disarmament talks, Hwang Joon-kook, will examine unused fuel rods at the North's main reprocessing plant, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said.
North Korea has some 14,000 unused fuel rods, and Seoul has said it would consider buying them if they can be adapted for use in South Korea's power-generating nuclear reactors. The North also has some 8,000 spent fuel rods, which could be used to harvest weapons-grade plutonium for nuclear bombs if reprocessed.
Pyongyang agreed during international disarmament talks in December to export its unused fuel rods.

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Palm Pre smartphone with new webOS announced

CES 2009 - Maybe the biggest surprise at the 2009 CES is the announcement made by Palm. After the failed attempt to launch a laptop companion thing for your smartphone (yes, the Foleo), Palm attempts to get back into the game with their newly announced smartphone called the Palm Pre.
Likey any other phone announced in the last year or so, it highly resembles the iPhone design, except that unlike the iPhone, its 3.1-inch (480x320 pixel) touchscreen slides up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. It is also ergonomically curved, just like the Sony Ericsson Xperia to give you extra comfort while writing.






Other features include a 3 megapixel camera with LED Flash, micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack, EVDO, WiFi, 8GB of internal storage, GPS, Bluetooth and the feature I've been craving for a very long time, a wireless charger! Awesome.
The Palm Pre runs on a newly created platform called webOS, an operating system designed to be used with a touchscreen-baed graphical UI. It comes equipped with a number of apps and it uses technologies such as XHTML, CSS and JavaScript, so that's all you need in order to created applications for this device. The Pre will be the first smartphone to use the webOS.
The Palm Pre will be launched in the first half of 2009 on the Sprint network. Pricing was not revealed, but don't expect this thing to be cheap.

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World markets sink on US earnings concerns

LONDON – World markets sank Tuesday amid ongoing fears about the financial health of leading U.S. businesses after aluminum company Alcoa Inc. kicked off the fourth quarter earnings season in disappointing fashion.
Alcoa reported after Wall Street closed Monday a quarterly loss of $1.19 billion. The bigger than expected loss came only days after the aluminum giant announced job and production cuts due to sinking prices and weaker demand.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 91.51 points, or 2.1 percent, at 4,334.68, even though shares of the country's biggest supermarket chain Tesco PLC rose more than 3 percent after it revealed in-line sales growth during the crucial Christmas trading period and indicated it would recruit some 10,000 people this year.
Meanwhile Germany's DAX fell 98.21 points, or 2.1 percent, to 4,621.41. Metro AG shares were down around 1.5 percent after the German retailer reported lower-than-expected sales and profits.
France's CAC-40 was 66.80 points, or 2.1 percent, lower at 3,179.32, with BNP Paribas SA down more than 5 percent amid reports the bank will not buy all of troubled Fortis's insurance operations. PSA Peugeot Citroen, France's biggest carmaker, fell 4 percent after it reported a near 9 percent fall in 2008 sales.
The losses in Europe followed equivalent retreats in the U.S. and Asia.
"Earnings and economic disappointments are the main contributors to the rise in risk aversion both of which are likely to act as a persistent drag on markets over coming weeks," said Mitul Kotecha, an analyst at Calyon Credit Agricole.
"The earnings season kicked off with disappointment from Alcoa after the company reported earnings that missed forecasts," he added.
Investors will have a raft of earnings to assess over the coming days and weeks as they assess whether the market is discounting the decline in profits correctly.
A key focus of attention in markets will be the passage of President-elect Barack Obama's fiscal package through Congress — expected to amount to around $800 billion in tax cuts and increased government spending.
Stock markets around the world enjoyed a relatively strong rally at the start of 2009 but that came to an abrupt halt last week amid grim economic and corporate news from the U.S., most notably the rise in the unemployment rate to a 16-year high of 7.2 percent.
Earlier, most leading Asian markets retreated, with Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average tumbling 422.89 points, or 4.8 percent, to 8,413.91, as it caught up with Asia's losses on Monday after being closed for a holiday.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slid 2.2 percent to 13,668.05, Australia's index slipped 0.8 percent and Shanghai's market traded 2 percent lower amid news that China's trade slump worsened in December as exports fell at their fastest rate in a decade. South Korea bucked the trend with the Kospi up 1 percent to 1,167.71.
The losses around the world are expected to continue when Wall Street opens later.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 125.21 points, or 1.5 percent, to end at 8,473.97. Broader stock indicators also declined, with the Standard & Poor's 500 index shedding 20.09, or 2.3 percent, to 870.26.
Futures pointed to a weaker open on Wall Street with Dow futures down 70 points, or 0.8 percent, to 8,374 and S&P 500 futures off 8 points, or 0.9 percent, at 860.10.
The dollar slipped 0.1 percent to 89.03 yen, while the euro was 0.5 percent weaker at $1.3292.
Light, sweet crude for February delivery was down 97 cents at $36.62 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange on expectations crude demand will weaken amid a severe global economic slowdown. Crude prices have fallen more than 25 percent since reaching just above $50 a barrel last week.

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Russia, Ukraine trade blame as Europe sees no gas

MOSCOW – Russia and Ukraine hotly traded accusations of blame Tuesday as Russia restarted natural gas supplies but little or no gas flowed toward Europe. EU officials watched in dismay and criticized both nations for their intransigence.
Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom said it began pumping gas to Europe at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT, 2 a.m. EST), ending a six-day cutoff, but four hours later Gazprom's Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev said Ukraine's pipeline system had failed to carry it on to Europe.
"Ukraine didn't open any export pipelines," Medvedev told reporters. "They just shut down the entry of the pipeline in the direction of the Balkans. We don't have the physical opportunity to pump the gas to European customers."

However, Ukrainian energy adviser Bohdan Sokolovsky said Russia deliberately shipped the gas along a technically arduous route that requires Ukraine to cut domestic consumers out before it can deliver gas to the Balkans.
He said a gas entry point on the Russian border and a gas pumping station near the Romanian border where Gazprom wants its gas delivered are not linked by an export pipeline.
"They are continuing their campaign to discredit Ukraine," Sokolovsky told The Associated Press.
EU spokesman Ferran Tarradellas Espuny, meanwhile, said both Russia and Ukraine had deprived EU monitors full access to the control rooms operating the gas pipeline network.
"Access to the dispatching rooms is essential to know what is actually happening," he said, adding it's "too early to draw such conclusions" on who to blame.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to express "disappointment" over the lack of gas flow to Europe and Russia's failure to let monitors to the control room.
Barroso's aide said Putin promised to look into both matters. Putin's office said he told Barroso that Ukraine is to blame for the problem and advised him to contact Ukrainian officials.
Russia supplies about one-quarter of the EU's natural gas, 80 percent of it shipped through Ukraine's vast pipeline network. Amid a pricing dispute with Ukraine, Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe on Jan. 7 just as the continent was gripped by freezing temperatures.
Russia has accused Ukraine of stealing gas intended for Europe and only restarted supplies after a EU-led monitoring mission was deployed to gas metering and compressor stations across Ukrainian territory. Ukraine has denied the charges, claiming that Russia has not sent enough gas to pump the rest of it west to Europe.
The observer mission includes EU, Russian and Ukrainian officials and representatives of European energy companies.
"The information that we have from our monitors in Russia is that little or no gas is currently flowing and we are not at this stage jumping to conclusions as to why this is the case," said another EU spokeswoman, Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen. "This situation is obviously very serious and needs to improve rapidly."
Russia and Ukraine also continued bickering over who should pay for the so-called "technical gas" Ukraine needs to power the compressors that push Europe-bound gas through its pipelines. Ukraine warned Tuesday it will have to use some gas from Russia for that purpose but Russia said it would consider that theft.
The gas cutoff has affected more than 15 countries, with Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia among the worst hit. Sales of electric heaters have soared and thousands of businesses in eastern Europe have been forced to cut production or even shut down. Millions of people have been affected by the heating crisis or involuntary layoffs.
Russia stopped gas supplies to Ukraine itself on Jan. 1 amid a 2009 gas contract dispute.
Russia has used the gas dispute to push for prospective gas pipelines under the Baltic and the Black Sea that would bypass Ukraine. But EU officials say the crisis should encourage a search for independent energy sources and supply routes, such as the U.S.-backed Nabucco pipeline via Turkey that would carry Caspian energy to Europe and circumvent Russia.
Relations between the two ex-Soviet neighbors have been strained since the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine led to the election of a pro-Western government in Kiev. Ukraine's efforts to join NATO and its support for the former Soviet republic of Georgia in its war with Russia in August has angered the Kremlin.
Gazprom's Medvedev claimed the United States has encouraged Ukraine's defiance in the gas dispute.
"It looks like they are dancing under the music that is orchestrated not in Ukraine," he said Tuesday.
Russia still will not send natural gas to Ukraine for domestic consumption until the deadlock is resolved over what Ukraine should pay for Russian gas in 2009 and what Russia should pay for using Ukraine's pipelines.
Ukraine last year paid $179.50 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. Russia wants Ukraine to pay market price for gas, about the $450 that European customers pay. The latest round of price talks ended Sunday without result.

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Pakistan state not linked to Mumbai attack: Britain

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Britain's foreign minister said on Tuesday he believed the Pakistan state did not direct the Mumbai attacks, contradicting accusations from the Indian government that state agencies were involved.
"I have said publicly that I do not believe that the attacks were directed by the Pakistani state and I think it's important to restate that," David Miliband told a news conference.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said last week the Mumbai attacks must have had support from some of Pakistan's official agencies. Islamabad has denied this, blaming the raid on "non-state actors."

India has provided Pakistan data from satellite phones used by the attackers and what it describes as the confession of a surviving gunman, part of a dossier of what it calls evidence.
Miliband's statement highlighted differences between India and some Western allies. While India believes that agencies like Pakistan's military spy agency were involved, diplomats have hinted there is not enough evidence to show this.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani reiterated his government's offer of a joint investigation with India but said the dossier India had sent did not amount to evidence.
"All that has been received formally from India is some information," Gilani told the National Assembly.
"I say 'information' because these are not evidence. This needs to be carefully examined," he said. "Serious, sustained and pragmatic cooperation is the way forward."
India has become increasingly frustrated with what it sees as Pakistan's failure to take strong action against those it blames for November's Mumbai attacks, in which 179 people were killed.
The attacks revived tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors who have fought three wars since 1947.
DEEP MISTRUST
Gilani said the Interior Ministry was examining the information and its findings would be shared with India in "due course of time."
Analysts said India's accusations of involvement by Pakistani state elements and Pakistan's slow response to the Indian dossier illustrated the deep mistrust between the old rivals.
Miliband said it was clear the attacks originated from Pakistan and it had to crack down on militants operating on its soil, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which has been blamed for the Mumbai attacks.
"What is relevant is the approach of the Pakistani state to the LeT organization and the way the Pakistani state takes on the menace of the LeT organization," he said.
Miliband praised India for the "maturity" and "wisdom" of its response to the attacks, referring to its decision to respond diplomatically rather than militarily.
After the assault, Pakistan raided militant organizations and detained some Islamist leaders. But the action did not satisfy India, which said such detentions amounted to little.
Miliband too said Pakistan needed to do more.
"You know there is a history of people being arrested and then not being prosecuted or brought to justice," he said, adding Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was sincere about tackling militancy and needed the Pakistani state machinery's support.
Miliband warned that Pakistan faced its modern threat from within its borders and it needed to tackle the roots of militant organizations such as the LeT.
Several other foreign officials including U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden have visited the region since the assault on India's financial hub in an effort to defuse tension.
Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz held talks in Islamabad on Tuesday with Gilani and other Pakistani leaders.
Gilani reiterated that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used by anyone against any country, his office said.

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Iran says uncovers U.S.-backed coup plot

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran has arrested four Iranians accused of involvement in a U.S.-financed plot aimed at toppling its Islamic system of government, the judiciary said on Tuesday.
The announcement came a week before the inauguration of Barack Obama as U.S. president. In a shift from George W. Bush's approach, he has pledged to increase diplomatic efforts to engage Iran and talk directly to its leaders.

The United States, which cut ties with Iran shortly after its 1979 Islamic revolution, accuses Tehran of seeking to build nuclear bombs. Iranian officials deny the charge, saying the nuclear program is for electricity production.
Iran often accuses the West of seeking to undermine the Islamic state through a "soft" or "velvet revolution" with the help of intellectuals and others inside the country.
The New York Times on Saturday said Bush had deflected an Israeli request last year for bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran's nuclear complex, saying he had authorized covert action to sabotage its suspected atomic arms development.
Judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi said the accused, who he said were financed by the U.S. government and Congress, were arrested in Tehran and their verdicts would be announced soon.
"The news whose details which will be announced either tomorrow or the day after is in connection to a soft network whose intent was to topple (the Islamic system), with U.S. government funding," Jamshidi told a news conference.
"One of the goals these individuals were pursuing in Iran was to set up a network to topple the Islamic establishment, all of whose operators have been arrested," he said.
U.S. "CRIMES"
Jamshidi said the group, whom he did not identify, had tried to recruit other people in Iran and train them both in and outside the country in techniques for undermining the system. He did not provide details.
The official IRNA news agency also quoted him as saying the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been involved in establishing and guiding the network.
"Unfortunately we have witnessed in the past years crimes guided or led by this (U.S.) government," Jamshidi said.
Under Bush, whose term ends on January 20, the United States has spearheaded a drive to isolate Iran in order to pressure it into halting its nuclear activities, something which Tehran has repeatedly refused to do.
The New York Times report said Bush, aware that financial sanctions against Iran were inadequate, had turned to the CIA and authorized a broader effort aimed at Iran's industrial infrastructure supporting its nuclear program.
Obama, who takes office on January 20, last week said he views Iran as a "genuine threat" but still favors initiating a dialogue with it. On Sunday, he said he will take a new approach toward Tehran that will emphasize respect for the Iranian people and spell out what the United States expects of its leaders.

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Israel, Hamas locked in fierce Gaza City street battles

GAZA CITY (AFP) – Israeli troops and Hamas fighters traded fierce gunfire on the streets of Gaza City Tuesday as Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas accused the Jewish state of trying to "wipe out" his people.
Israeli special forces backed by tanks and air strikes lunged ever deeper into the largest city in Gaza, advancing several hundred metres (yards) into several neighbourhoods in the south, witnesses and correspondents said.

The thuds of tanks shells and the rattle of gunfire had kept terrified residents awake overnight, although many had fled the area. Witnesses said the fighting was the most intense of the 18-day-old conflict.
The clashes come as Israeli media predicted that the country's leadership may approve an expansion of its massive offensive in Gaza despite ongoing talks in Egypt on how to end a war launched to stop rocket fire.
As Egypt pressed on with an initiative designed to bring about an immediate end to Israel's deadliest ever offensive in the impoverished strip of land, Abbas said the Jewish state appeared intent on waging a war of extermination.
"This is the 18th day of the Israeli aggression against our people, which is become more ferocious each day as the number of victims rises," Abbas said.
"Israel is keeping up this aggression to wipe out our people over there," he said at the opening of a meeting of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in his base in the West Bank.
"Our people are holding up well. They continue to defend themselves and will never surrender."
The head of Israel's armed forces said Operation Cast Lead was making good progress but warned troops faced "complicated" conditions in Gaza City, home to more than half a million Palestinians where Israel has little experience of prolonged combat.
"We have already achieved a lot against both Hamas's infrastructure and its military wing but we still have work to be done," Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told lawmakers.
In a late night television address, Ismail Haniya, who heads the Hamas administration in Gaza, proclaimed that Israel had failed to break the will of Gaza and the Islamists were nearing victory.
The overall death toll from the conflict rose to at least 935, including 280 children. A further 4,260 have been wounded.
A Saudi jihadist who was fighting alongside Hamas was also among the latest fatalities, according to Islamist websites.
Three Israeli soldiers were wounded by an explosion in the north of the territory, one of whom was now in a critical condition, an army spokesman said.
Ten Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed in combat or by rocket attacks since December 27 when Israel began its offensive designed to put an end to rockets and mortars being fired from Gaza.
The tanks retreated shortly after dawn from the neighbourhoods of Tal al-Hawa and Sheikh Ajlin, allowing medics to rush into the area. However tanks and troops remained camped in the outlying neighbourhood of Zeitun.
Clashes between troops and fighters were also reported around the southern town of Khan Yunis.
Israeli warplanes pounded the densely-populated coastal strip with more than 60 air strikes overnight, targetting rocket launching sites, weapons storage facilities, Hamas outposts and smuggling tunnels on Gaza's border with Egypt, the army said.
In his address, Haniya, who is not considered to wield influence over the group's armed wing, said the Islamists were ready to "examine in a positive manner any initiative which can put an end to this aggression and the blood of our children being shed."
A delegation from Hamas was to hold yet another round of talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman on Tuesday on a Western-backed proposal drawn up by President Hosni Mubarak on how to end the fighting.
A senior official in Cairo indicated Egypt was getting increasingly frustrated at Hamas's response so far to its initiative.
"We're working seriously with Hamas, we need to end the vagueness and they need to say yes, now, to our plan," the Egyptian diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who is to head to the Middle East Tuesday, also called on Israel and Hamas to immediately stop the fighting, saying "too many people have died."
The Security Council was to hold closed-door consultations on the crisis later Tuesday.
Aid agencies have warned of a growing humanitarian crisis in the territory where the vast majority of the 1.5 million population depends on foreign aid and that is already reeling from months of a punishing Israeli blockade.
Speaking on a tour of Gaza's main hospital, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said he had been saddened by what he had seen.
"I wanted to see this hospital and I can only say this is really very sad and it hurts a lot when you see what I've just seen," Jakob Kellenberger told reporters.

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