DynaMix of 80's - Don Bosco Irinjalakuda past pupils gather to honour Sri P R Lonappan Master

DynaMix of 80's - Don Bosco Irinjalakuda past pupils gather to honour Sri P R Lonappan Master



Don Bosco Past Pupils Irinjalakuda, India, Middle East Chapter is organising DynaMix of 80’s to honour Sri P. R. Lonappan Master, a veteran teacher of the school, who studied and served his entire career as teacher with the institution till he retired recently.

The event will be held on Friday, 11th December 2009 at Sheraton Deira from 5:00 pm onwards.

All patrons and past-pupils of Don Bosco School Irinjalakuda are kindly requested to contact Mr. Franson Michael (Ph: 050 875 13 16) for participating in this event and make it a success.

Open Space - at Khaleej Times

Open Space - at Khaleej Times

At Khaleej Times from now on you have a whole page to interact.

Share yout thoughts at People Speak
Voice your dissent at Counter Point
or express your opinion at Letters to the Editor

E-mail: openspace@khaleejtimes.com

Dubai Cares Water Bucket Walk Event - Friday, 20th November 2009

Dubai Cares Water Bucket Walk Event - Friday, 20th November 2009



Dear Supporter,

November 20, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Children’s Day. On this important global occasion, Dubai Cares invites you to participate in the Water Bucket Walk, a symbolic walk-a-thon in support of children who do not have access to clean drinking water in schools around the world. Most of us are not aware that children in developing countries walk, on average, more than 6 km every day to collect water that is likely to make them sick, thus preventing them from attending school.



The Water Bucket Walk will give the UAE community the opportunity to experience a fraction of the difficulties children in developing countries face on a daily basis, by walking 3 km carrying a bucket much like a child in a rural community would do. Each participant’s entry fee of AED 30 will provide one child with clean drinking water for one year!

Here are the details:

When: Friday November 20th, 2009

Time: Pre-registration: 08:00 A.M. – 09:00 A.M.

Walk-a-thon: 09:00 A.M.

Where: Registration will take place in Jumeirah Beach Park and the walk-a-thon will commence on Jumeirah Beach Road.

Entrance Fee: AED 30/ per person

The AED 30 fee is equal to the amount it would take to sponsor one child’s access to clean drinking water for one year. As such, every person participating in the Water Bucket Walk will be representing one child’s access to clean drinking water for one year!

Please note that every participant will receive a Dubai Cares t-shirt and bucket.

Children under the age of 5 will be exempt from any fees.

Interested? Here is how you can participate:

As an individual/family – Participants can register online http://www.dubaicares.ae/WaterBucketWalk or at one of Dubai Cares’ registration drives at shopping malls (visit www.dubaicares.ae for locations).

As a corporation – For more details regarding corporation registration please download the Water Bucket Walk Corporation Kit http://www.dubaicares.ae/WaterBucketWalk

As a university- For more details regarding university registration please download the Water Bucket Walk University Kit available on http://www.dubaicares.ae/WaterBucketWalk

As a social club- For more details regarding social club registration please download the Water Bucket Walk Social Club Kit available on http://www.dubaicares.ae/WaterBucketWalk

As a school- For more details regarding school registration download the Water Bucket Walk School Kit available on http://www.dubaicares.ae/WaterBucketWalk

Volunteers are welcome to help our team in organizing the Water Bucket Walk event. If you are interested in volunteering please contact us at bucket@dubaicares.ae.

Show your solidarity and support of children around the globe by registering NOW and inviting your friends and family to join our Water Bucket Walk!


Kind regards,

Dubai Cares

കേരള കാര്‍ട്ടൂണ്‍ അക്കാദമി: SAVE THE PLANET - cartoon contest

കേരള കാര്‍ട്ടൂണ്‍ അക്കാദമി: SAVE THE PLANET - cartoon contest

Evening MBA at 'Kerala' - Applications invited

Evening MBA at 'Kerala' - Applications invited

Sept 16: The Institute of Management under University of Kerala has invited applications for evening MBA programme. The evening batch has a total number of 30 seats. Graduates with not less than 50% marks are eligible to apply. SC/ST candidates will get priority as per norms. The applicants should possess 2 years of work experience. Admission will be granted on the basis of a written exam, interview and group discussion. Application form can be downloaded from the site www.keralauniversity.edu/www.imk.ac.in Filled applications will be accepted till 31st Oct and is to be sent to The Head, Institute of Management in Kerala, University of Kerala, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram - 34.

Distance Education at 'Kerala' - Apply before 31st Oct

Distance Education at 'Kerala' - Apply before 31st Oct

Oct 8: The applications for distance education programmes such as BSc Computer Science, BCA, BLiSc, BA Afsal Ul-Ulama will be accepted till 31st October without late fee, said a University of Kerala press release.

Certificate course in Nursing Administration

Certificate course in Nursing Administration
Oct 13: The Centre for Continuing Education & Extension has invited applications for a certificate course in Nursing Administration. The duration is six months. The course fee is Rs 5000. Those with Dip in General Nursing and Nursing Council Registration are eligible to apply. The last date of receiving applications is 30 Oct. For more information 0471-2302523

Seats vacant for various programmes at 'Kerala'

Seats vacant for various programmes at 'Kerala'

Oct 16: Applications have been invited from eligible candidates for few vacant seats in the following subjects: PG Diploma in Geo Information Science & Technology (Phone 0471-2417214) and MPhil in Chemistry (0471-2418782, 09446900664).

PGDRM admission at NIRD

PGDRM admission at NIRD

Oct 21: National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) under the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, located at Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad-500030, has invited applications for admission to the fully residential Post-Graduate Diploma in Rural Development Management (PGDRDM) for 2010-11. The programme of one year duration extends from August 2010 to July 2011.

The applicant should be Graduate in any discipline from a recognised University. Those who are in the final year of the qualifying course and expect to complete all the requirements of Graduation before 1st August 2010 can also apply.

There are 60 seats for the course of which 10 seats may be allotted to Indian in-service applicants and international applicants. Reservation for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer) and Persons with Disability (PWD) will be made as per Government of India Rules. Details are available at www.nird.org.in

Selection to the programme will be based on an All India Entrance Test followed by a Group Discussion and Interview for the candidates short-listed based on the test.

Entrance Test will test the verbal, analytical and quantitative competence of the applicants and will be held on 24.1.2010 at Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Kohima, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Pune, Rajkot, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Siliguri, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Udaipur and Vishakhapatnam.

Prospectus cum Application form can be obtained free of cost till 11.12.2009, during working hours (9 am to 5.30 pm) from the Admissions Officer, Centre for Post-Graduate Studies (CPGS).

Application form also will be given at NIRD-NERC Office at Khanapara, Guwahati, and at the Eastern Regional Centre of NIRD at Patna.

Request for application forms by Post will be accepted till 11.12.2009 and should be accompanied by a self- addressed envelope of size 12" x 10", with stamps worth Rs.13/- affixed.

Application can also be downloaded from www.nird.org.in

Filled in application form should be submitted to the Admissions Coordinator, Centre for Post-Graduate Studies (CPGS), National Institute of Rural Development, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh-500030, with an application fee of Rs.1200/-(Rs.600/- for SC/ST and PWD candidates) by way of an ‘Account Payee’ Demand Draft drawn in favour of ‘NIRD, Hyderabad’ and US $ 50 for international applicants who should use Swiftcode SBHYINBB052 A/C No. 62052905893 for remittance, so as to reach there latest by 18.12.2009. The last date for receipt of applications from those residing in the North Eastern States is 24.12.2009 and that for international students is 8.1.2010.

For details, visit nird.

Also at: Mathrubhumi education portal

Dr. P. K. Pokker, Director of Kerala Bhasha Institute in Kerala Social Centre on 26th September 2009

Dear Friends,

Dr. P.K. POKKER, famous orator and socio-cultural activist speaks on “Intervention and culture(Adhiniveshavum Samskaaravum)” on 26th September 2009, Saturday at 8.30 P.M. in a function held in connection with closing ceremony of BOOK COLLECTION CAMPAIGN WEEK, aimed at increasing the quantity and improving the quality of Kerala Social Centre’s prestigious library as well as to propagate reading habit.

More books will be received at the function from those who wish to contribute generously to the K.S.C. library.

Pls. make the occasion a memorable one with your august presence in Kerala Social Cente.


With Best Regards,

Safarulla Palappetty, Joint Secretary, Post Box No. 3584, Kerala Social Centre, Abu Dhabi, U. A. E.

Free software comes to schools

Free software comes to schools

Express News Service Kochi

KOCHI: In an effort to promote free and open source software among students, a new initiative called Swathanthra Software Koottayma (SSK) has been formed at Vocational Higher Secondary School, Irumpanam, near here.

The SSK is a free software user group for students, and is the first of its kind in the State.

The first meeting of SSK was convened at the school. A number of teachers, students, free software activists and members of the Indian Libre Users Group (ILUG), Kochi chapter, attended the meeting.

The vision of SSK is to create a free thinking group which incorporates the core values of free software and use it through gaining knowledge, sharing and collaborating. There will be discussions on curriculum, syllabus and technology.

The activities of SSK include organising discussions on free software technologies, screening of movies, collaborative studies, presentations and workshops by the free software community group, bringing out free software-based newsletters and generating free software-based concepts for simple applications for the school and society.

There were discussions on the history of GNU project, GNU/Linux operating system and introduction to software licenses during the introductory session. The session on Malayalam computing dealt with the history of Malayalam computing, Swathanthra Malayalam computing project, introduction to applications like English-Malayalam dictionary and making a poster using GNU Image Manipulation Programme (GIMP).

Sameer Mohammed Thahir and Venkat of ILUG Kochi, Sanal Kumar and Thomas Yoyaku, teachers at VHSS Irumpanam, and Rimal, Geegu and Abhinav Thomas, students of the school, spoke at the meeting.

IGNOU inks pact with ACIIL, IBM

IGNOU inks pact with ACIIL, IBM

New Delhi, July 11: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), The Advanced Center for Informatics and Innovative Learning (ACIIL) and IBM India today signed an MoU at Bangalore that they claimed would reinvent IT education in the country.

The collaboration, co-operation and joint working of IBM, with IGNOU, will what they say bridge the gap that existed till now on education, skills and national development, a varsity statement said.

As part of the MoU, IGNOU and IBM India would partner to skill students on the IT standards in the emerging verticals like healthcare, financial services and retail that have a significant growth potential, in addition to the skills demand of Open Source software and Open Standards, with live projects.

The three programs that will be offered in the first phase under this MoU would include -- a Certificate in Open Source Software, diploma in Open Source Software and Industry Vertical Domain Open Standards and Advanced Diploma in Industry Vertical Domain Open Standards (Healthcare/ Retail/ Insurance).

The Innovation Centre for Open Standards (iCos), an online platform, will be the underlying framework for the engagement between IBM and IGNOU for the execution of the courses. The IBM iCos platform links students' project based learning with IT industry and mentors.

Delhi govt to set up Knowledge City

Delhi govt to set up Knowledge City
PTI 12 July 2009, 10:56am IST
NEW DELHI: In a unique initiative to promote advanced research and encourage higher education, the Delhi government will set up a Knowledge City in

the national capital, providing best possible infrastructure to institutions offering job-oriented courses.

The Knowledge City, to be set up on public-private partnership (PPP) basis, would offer modern infrastructure and services to self-financed institutions that offer professional courses, officials said.

They said the government has decided to develop the city to overcome the constraint of land availability by the self-financed institutions.

"The Knowledge City would offer best infrastructure and services to a number of self-financed institutions so that growth of these institutions is not affected by constraints of land availability," the Action Plan of the Delhi Government for implementation of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) recommendations said.

The decision to establish the Knowledge City was taken as per the recommendations of NKC which was set up by prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2005 to prepare a roadmap for transforming India into a knowledge society, officials said.

The project has been already cleared by the Planning Commission and land earmarked, they added.

Red light cameras now check for insurance, too

Red light cameras now check for insurance, too
Tom Barlow Jun 29th 2009 at 4:30PM

Drive without insurance? Then you'd better stay out of Ohio, where the state is considering a program that uses red-light cameras and insurance company databases to check passing traffic for uninsured motorists. The system would use license plate numbers to verify driver insurance. According to the Columbus Dispatch, officials in Chicago, who are considering the same system, from InsureNet of Novi, Michigan, think that such a program could generate $200 million in additional revenue for the Windy City.

When the system identifies an uninsured motorist, the driver would be sent a letter instructing him to take care of the problem. If he doesn't, a fine will soon follow. In Ohio, that fine is $125 for a first offense, $300 for a second and $550 for a third.

The system is already being provided to law enforcement, free of charge, so even those uninsured drivers who managed to dodge the cameras can be busted if they catch the attention of a local gendarme. The system can also provide them lien reports in real time.

I'm all for requiring drivers to carry insurance, but I'm not pleased by the prospect of insurance company databases being opened for InsureNet's searches. I can see how this would be a good deal for the insurance companies, because it will drive business their way. For the general public, however, this feels like another step toward a Big Brother future.

To read the original article, click here

Photo Speaks - Thoughts, moods and poses on a Saturday morning

Photo Speaks - Thoughts, moods and poses on a Saturday morning

Scene from the Madinat Zayed Shopping complex area on a Saturday morning. I was surprised to see many people lost in thoughts or problems at that time of the morning. Have to explore more on this some other times.

Kambakkht ways

Towards more responsible days.....

Dear Friends,

Towards more responsible days.....

Sharing with you an achievement that happened today.

Please do visit http://www.hit967.com/

http://www.hit967.com/English/Music/Pages/LatestOnHitDetails.aspx?eventId=189

Please pray for more creative thoughts and willingness to work with social consciousness without inhibition.

Regards,

Ramesh Menon

No News 20th edition - To or Not to?

No News 20th edition - To or Not to?

India Taking Steps to Rehabilitate Returning Gulf Expats: Tharoor

India Taking Steps to Rehabilitate Returning Gulf Expats: Tharoor
Sajila Saseendran 25 June 2009


DUBAI — The Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr Shashi Tharoor, has said the new government in New Delhi would take adequate measures to rehabilitate Indians returning home from the Gulf and other foreign countries due to the impact of the global financial downturn.

During his first visit to the UAE as a minister, Tharoor, who assumed office last month, also assured that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was taking measures to penalise illegal recruiting agencies that dupe workers by making false promises.

Tharoor, who had earlier made various suggestions to the government for providing financial assistance for the rehabilitation of Gulf returnees, said the Central Government would extend all support to the non-resident Indians (NRIs) returning after losing jobs due to recession, though it had not announced any special welfare package to rehabilitate them.

“The government is cautious…both about losing their valuable contribution (from abroad) and the potential problems they face. India won’t lose interest in them and the government will not be indifferent to them,” Tharoor told reporters at a press meet organised by the Indian Consulate in Dubai on Tuesday evening.

He was in Dubai for a stopover during his trip to Yemen for attending an international conference organised by the Indian Ocean Rim Association Countries. Answering questions about the actions being taken against unscrupulous recruitment agencies, he said the Indian government was taking various steps, including amendments to the Immigration Act to ensure stringent punishment for illegal agents.

“The government cannot solve every problem... but we are trying to crack down on this...We are extremely concerned that innocent working men and women are being duped by unscrupulous agents.” Though it had been difficult for the government to tackle the unregulated agents functioning outside the regulatory network of authorities, Tharoor said, both the countries — Indian and the UAE — have had constructive dialogues to solve many issues related to labourers. Consul-General of India Venu Rajamony said the government had already started cancelling the registration of agents found guilty and some had been prosecuted in
criminal cases.

He said the Indian government had also launched a media campaign in different languages to make the public aware of such agents.

Click here to read the oringal report.

New tech university for state's premier colleges

New tech university for state's premier colleges
25 Jun 2009, 0506 hrs IST, TNN

CHENNAI: In a move aimed at promoting research, the government has decided to create a dedicated unitary technical university comprising the four
premier colleges of Anna University (Chennai) and thus insulate their faculty from administrative chores relating to the running of other affiliated institutions. The technical university, which will begin functioning from this academic year, will consist of Guindy College of Engineering, Madras Institute of Technology, A C College of Technology, and School of Architecture and Planning.

Higher education minister K Ponmudy told the state assembly on Wednesday that 136 engineering colleges were affiliated to Anna University (Chennai), and hence the faculty was spending most of its time in managing affiliated colleges. Since professors were entrusted with duties of admission, conduct of examinations and inspection of infrastructure in affiliated colleges, they had little time to spend on research, he noted. Experts in technical education had recommended the creation of a unitary university to offer world-class master's programmes and research facilities. The government would float the new university this year itself, Ponmudy said.

The move, in a way, reverses the government's own decision some years back. Anna University had functioned as a premier unitary technical university till 2001 when the AIADMK government brought all engineering colleges under its purview in an effort to streamline and manage engineering education in the state.

When contacted, Anna University (Chennai) vice-chancellor P Mannar Jawahar said the creation of a unitary university would fuel high quality research. "The university's constituent colleges have highly qualified faculty with rich experience in research work, industrial consultancy and collaboration with funding agencies. We have research facilities, including sophisticated equipment which can be put to optimum use now. The faculty can focus full time on research, postgraduate technical education and industrial collaboration," he told The Times of India.

In the current academic year, Ponmudy said, the government would create more than 1,000 posts of lecturers in arts and science colleges and get them filled; in the process, guest lecturers teaching self-financing courses, which were later changed to general courses, would be phased out. The Teachers Recruitment Board would soon release the list of 1,195 lecturers, who were recruited recently. In government engineering colleges, 100 teaching posts would be filled.

Most students pursuing engineering courses in government colleges come from poor backgrounds and need accommodation to pursue their education. Because of this, Ponmudy said, the government was also planning to build new hostels or expand facilities in existing ones. New polytechnics would be opened in Theni, Madurai, Perambalur, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Villupuram and Thiruvarur at a cost of Rs 12.3 crore each. The proposal had been forwarded to the Centre, and admissions would begin from the next academic year, he said.