Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (born September 29, 1951) is a center-left politician and the current President of Chile She was inaugurated on March 11, 2006.
Helen Elizabeth Clark (born February 26, 1950) became Prime Minister of New Zealand in December 1999 and entered her third successive term in that office in 2005.
Luísa Dias Diogo (born April 11, 1958) has been prime minister of Mozambique since February 2004.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (born October 29, 1938) is the current president of Liberia and Africa's first elected female head of state.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born April 5, 1947), also known by her initials "G.M.A.", is the 14th and current president of the Philippines.
Angela Dorothea Merkel (b. Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954, in Hamburg, Germany), is the Chancellor of Germany.
Pratibha Patil (born December 19, 1934) is the 13th and current President of India.
Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945 in Wood Hall, St. Catherine Parish) is, since 30 March 2006, the Prime Minister of Jamaica.
(http://www.wikipedia.org/)
2.8.07
Australian granny, 94, becomes world's oldest master
A 94-year-old Australian great-great-grandmother who quit school at 12 is said to have become the world's oldest person to earn a university masters degree.
Medical Science Masters Degree graduate Phyllis Turner, from Australia's Adelaide University, began studying for her postgraduate degree at age 90 and received her award this week.
"I feel very very happy after five years of study, but sorry that I am just a little bit immobilized," Mrs Turner, who uses a walking stick, told Australian papers.
Degree supervisor Professor Maciej Henneberg said he had been amazed by Turner's energy and dedication to study.
"Mentally she was like any other student. You couldn't tell her thinking, her enthusiasm and her interests apart from somebody who was 25. She has a lively mind," he told Reuters.
(Reuters)
Medical Science Masters Degree graduate Phyllis Turner, from Australia's Adelaide University, began studying for her postgraduate degree at age 90 and received her award this week.
"I feel very very happy after five years of study, but sorry that I am just a little bit immobilized," Mrs Turner, who uses a walking stick, told Australian papers.
Degree supervisor Professor Maciej Henneberg said he had been amazed by Turner's energy and dedication to study.
"Mentally she was like any other student. You couldn't tell her thinking, her enthusiasm and her interests apart from somebody who was 25. She has a lively mind," he told Reuters.
(Reuters)
1.8.07
Clinton woos the outsourcers feared by U.S. workers
BUFFALO, N.Y. — To many labor unions and high-tech workers, the Indian giant Tata Consultancy Services is a serious threat — a company that has helped move U.S. jobs to India while sending thousands of foreign workers on temporary visas to the United States.
So when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) came to this struggling city to announce some good news, her choice of partners was something of a surprise.
Joining Tata Consultancy's chief executive at a downtown hotel, Clinton announced that the company would open a software development office in Buffalo and form a research partnership with a local university. Tata told a newspaper that it might hire as many as 200 people.
The 2003 announcement had clear benefits for the senator and the company: Tata received good press, and Clinton burnished her credentials as a champion for New York's depressed upstate region.
But less noticed was how the event signaled that Clinton, who portrays herself as a fighter for American workers, had aligned herself with Indian American business leaders and Indian companies feared by the labor movement.
Now, as Clinton runs for president, that signal is echoing loudly.
Clinton is successfully wooing wealthy Indian Americans, many of them business leaders with close ties to their native country and an interest in protecting outsourcing laws and expanding access to worker visas. Her campaign has held three fundraisers in the Indian American community recently, one of which raised close to $3 million, its sponsor told an Indian news organization.
(http://www.latimes.com)
So when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) came to this struggling city to announce some good news, her choice of partners was something of a surprise.
Joining Tata Consultancy's chief executive at a downtown hotel, Clinton announced that the company would open a software development office in Buffalo and form a research partnership with a local university. Tata told a newspaper that it might hire as many as 200 people.
The 2003 announcement had clear benefits for the senator and the company: Tata received good press, and Clinton burnished her credentials as a champion for New York's depressed upstate region.
But less noticed was how the event signaled that Clinton, who portrays herself as a fighter for American workers, had aligned herself with Indian American business leaders and Indian companies feared by the labor movement.
Now, as Clinton runs for president, that signal is echoing loudly.
Clinton is successfully wooing wealthy Indian Americans, many of them business leaders with close ties to their native country and an interest in protecting outsourcing laws and expanding access to worker visas. Her campaign has held three fundraisers in the Indian American community recently, one of which raised close to $3 million, its sponsor told an Indian news organization.
(http://www.latimes.com)
537 Days Left
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton has widened her lead over fellow Sen. Barack Obama in the race for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination, a new poll showed on Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll also showed that if the elections were held today, either of those Democrats would beat former New York Major Rudy Giuliani, the current Republican favorite.
Forty-three percent of Democratic respondents said they preferred the New York senator and former first lady over other Democratic candidates in the 2008 contest, up from 39 percent in June, the poll showed.
(Reuters)
Interestingly, the poll also showed that Michael Bloomberg had a 11% chance of winning. It appears to be a clear suggestion that Bloomberg — who has not thrown his hat in the presidential fray — would steal more support from the Republicans than from the Democrats.
(Times of India)
The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll also showed that if the elections were held today, either of those Democrats would beat former New York Major Rudy Giuliani, the current Republican favorite.
Forty-three percent of Democratic respondents said they preferred the New York senator and former first lady over other Democratic candidates in the 2008 contest, up from 39 percent in June, the poll showed.
(Reuters)
Interestingly, the poll also showed that Michael Bloomberg had a 11% chance of winning. It appears to be a clear suggestion that Bloomberg — who has not thrown his hat in the presidential fray — would steal more support from the Republicans than from the Democrats.
(Times of India)
30.7.07
The Child Minder System
Each year, dozens of children in the US die because of a regrettable, preventable error - being left in a vehicle by a distracted parent or caretaker.
We've all heard the stories. And we've all thought, "That could never happen to me and my family." But it can and it does happen to loving, busy families just like yours - with catastrophic consequences. If you're still in doubt, take a moment to read Mackenzee's Story.
The Child Minder® system is an affordable, portable and practical monitoring device which can prevent these accidents. Installation takes less than three minutes, meaning the device can be quickly and easily moved from one car seat to another.
Don't take the chance that your busy, hectic schedule might lead to a deadly mistake. A small investment of time and money can put your mind at ease and keep your child safe.
(http://www.babyalert.info/home.php)
We've all heard the stories. And we've all thought, "That could never happen to me and my family." But it can and it does happen to loving, busy families just like yours - with catastrophic consequences. If you're still in doubt, take a moment to read Mackenzee's Story.
The Child Minder® system is an affordable, portable and practical monitoring device which can prevent these accidents. Installation takes less than three minutes, meaning the device can be quickly and easily moved from one car seat to another.
Don't take the chance that your busy, hectic schedule might lead to a deadly mistake. A small investment of time and money can put your mind at ease and keep your child safe.
(http://www.babyalert.info/home.php)
Skybus - "... everything comes with a fee"
The nation's newest carrier is trying to emulate the no-frills model of
Skybus Extras
On Skybus, “other than using the restroom, everything comes with a fee,” said Brandy King, a spokeswoman for Southwest.
The airline sells soft drinks, juice and water for $2, alcoholic beverages for $5 and, if you really want to splurge, a small bottle of champagne for $10. Candy bars and potato chips go for $2. If you are looking for a little more to eat, a sandwich will run you $10. The airline bills you for checked baggage. The first two bags are $5 each. Each additional bag is $50. The airline does offer pillows — for a whopping $8 — but you get to keep the pillow! Though seating is first-come, first-served, passengers can also pay an extra $10 each way for priority seating which will allow them to board right after passengers with disabilities.
Skybus Wages
In order to keep wages in line with their projected low fares, flight attendants are only paid $9 per flight hour, and will not be paid a per diem. While this is considerably lower than competing airlines' wages, flight attendants also receive 10% of all sales made during the flight, splitting all commissions evenly among all flight attendants on-board. Starting pilot wages are also below average, starting at $65,000 annually. The average commercial airline pilot wage is approximately $135,000.
Skybus Investors
Skybus Airlines' startup finances is currently provided by a number of large investors. These include: Fidelity Investments (12.6% ownership), Morgan Stanley (6.4%), Nationwide Mutual Capital (5%), and Tiger Management (4.1%). Smaller investors include: Huntington Capital Investment Co., Wolfe Enterprises (owner of The Columbus Dispatch), and Battelle Services Co. Inc.
(travel.nytimes.com, www.dispatch.com, www.nb12.com)
Jerusalem wary of US arms sale to Saudis
Despite the significant increase in US military aid to Israel, defense officials warned Sunday that the sale of satellite-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia had the potential to constitute a strategic threat to the state of Israel.
According to the proposed arms deal, Saudi Arabia will receive thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) - a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurately guided "smart" weapons. The package also proposes a 25 percent increase in US military aid to Israel, from an annual $2.4 billion to $3b. a year.
(www.jpost.com)
28.7.07
US cat 'predicts patient deaths'
A US cat that is reportedly able to sense when a nursing home's residents are about to die is baffling doctors. Oscar has a habit of curling up next to patients at the home in Providence, Rhode Island, in their final hours.
According to the author of an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the two-year-old cat has been observed to be correct in 25 cases so far. Staff now alert the families of residents when he sits down next to their ailing loved one. A US cat that is reportedly able to sense when a nursing home's residents are about to die is baffling doctors.
Oscar has a habit of curling up next to patients at the home in Providence, Rhode Island, in their final hours. According to the author of an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the two-year-old cat has been observed to be correct in 25 cases so far.
Staff now alert the families of residents when he sits down next to their ailing loved one.
(news.bbc.co.uk)
According to the author of an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the two-year-old cat has been observed to be correct in 25 cases so far. Staff now alert the families of residents when he sits down next to their ailing loved one. A US cat that is reportedly able to sense when a nursing home's residents are about to die is baffling doctors.
Oscar has a habit of curling up next to patients at the home in Providence, Rhode Island, in their final hours. According to the author of an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the two-year-old cat has been observed to be correct in 25 cases so far.
Staff now alert the families of residents when he sits down next to their ailing loved one.
(news.bbc.co.uk)
27.7.07
Heat on Indian Companies Over U.S. Work Visa
On June 26, Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley released information revealing that foreign outsourcing firms that use the high-skilled H1-B visa programme extensively are also among the heaviest users of another category, known as L visas. Durbin and Grassley say these companies are abusing the L visa programme, which is intended to allow multinationals to transfer foreign managers and specialists within a company to US offices.
The Senators allege that outsourcing firms are not engaging in transferring at all, but instead are hiring foreign workers expressly to bring them to the US — and to take the place of American workers. The newly released data show that of the top 20 L visa users in fiscal year 2006, 14 are offshore outsourcing firms, including Tata Consultancy Services, Satyam Computer, Wipro, Infosys, Patni Computer and Accenture.
(infotech.indiatimes.com)
The Senators allege that outsourcing firms are not engaging in transferring at all, but instead are hiring foreign workers expressly to bring them to the US — and to take the place of American workers. The newly released data show that of the top 20 L visa users in fiscal year 2006, 14 are offshore outsourcing firms, including Tata Consultancy Services, Satyam Computer, Wipro, Infosys, Patni Computer and Accenture.
(infotech.indiatimes.com)
Cash-strapped states embrace toll roads
States woke up to the possibility of leasing existing toll roads to private management firms when a partnership of Cintra and Australia's Macquarie Infrastructure Group agreed to pay $3.85 billion to Indiana for the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road, a year after the same group paid $1.8 billion for the eight-mile-long Chicago Skyway.
(CSM)
(CSM)
Aquafina bottled water is made with tap water
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- PepsiCo Inc. will spell out that its Aquafina bottled water is made with tap water, a concession to the growing environmental and political opposition to the bottled water industry. According to Corporate Accountability International, a U.S. watchdog group, the world's No. 2 beverage company will include the words "Public Water Source" on Aquafina labels.
(CNN)
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