Lok Sabha Elections I

Lok Sabha Elections are in full swing.Needless to say these elections are very crucial because India’s growth story  or saga is going to be affected by the outcome of these elections. Till now i am sure it is going to be hung parliament since no one seems to be in the position of getting clear majority.

Though UPA government has done fairly well but i am disappointed by the way they have tackled terrorism and too much time taken by them to ack  an inefficient Home Minister . Had they done it much earlier Mumbai carnage could have been averted.I again do not want to discuss this topic here.

“Mumbai Carnage” is still alive in the subconcious of Indian People and it is going to affect the outcome of elections. If it is not it means Indians still far away from the awekning which should be in the mind of an emerging super Power.

Current global meltdown is also going to affect the voters mindset.

I am really disappointed seeing there are so many hooligans and criminals in politics. It is shame for Indian politicians and Indian Democracy.I do not want to name all the hooligans here but seeing them in newspapers just boil my blood . Elections are merely a process of getting power and noone seems to be concerned about the real issues.

….. continue

Google Panchayt Award

Google Announced Google.org Gram Panchayat Puraskar (GGPP) for Karnatka and Andhra Pradesh . Top Five Panchayts from these two states will be awarded cash prize of Rs.5 lakhs (approximately $10,000 USD)which they can utilise in development of their respective villages.

The prize will be awarded in one of six areas: education, health and nutrition, water supply, rural infrastructure, rural electrification, and resource mobilization.

The contest is open for applications through January 25, 2009. To enter, visit the contest website www.google.org/ggpp.html or pick-up an application at your district or blockpanchayat office in Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh.

Please spread the  word .

More Information.

Obama’s Change.gov is now under a Creative Commons license

Barack Obama’s transition team website Change.gov has chosen Creative Commons license. There are many  type of licenses  provided by Creative Commons.  Change.gov has adopted Commons copyright licenses – CC BY.

“Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Content includes all materials posted by the Obama-Biden Transition project. Visitors to this website agree to grant a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license to the rest of the world for their submissions to Change.gov under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.”

It means that now visitors are allowed to reuse any of the content from the site as long as they give attribution back to the original source.

It is a healthy sign which indicates that Barack Obama has a intention to connect to people in every way. This is also good for democracy.

IBM :Five Innovations That Will Change Our Lives in the Next Five Years

According to IBM these five innovations are going to change our lives in next five years-

• Energy saving solar technology will be built into asphalt, paint and windows
• You will have a crystal ball for your health
• You will talk to the Web . . . and the Web will talk back
• You will have your own digital shopping assistants
• Forgetting will become a distant memory

Every year IBM releases a “Next Five in Five” list, and this is the third such list .

This list  mentions a “Talking Web” among the 5 items. You will talk to the Web and the Web will talk back, according to IBM. In the future “you will be able to surf the Internet, hands-free, by using your voice – therefore eliminating the need for visuals or keypads.”

Digital Media to Promote Freedom and Justice, Counter Violence, Extremism and Oppression

Facebook, Google, YouTube, MTV, Howcast, Columbia Law School, the U.S. Department of State and Access 360 Media has taken the initiative to use the potential of digital media to  Promote Freedom and Justice, Counter Violence, Extremism and Oppression.

For this purpose a summit is being organized on Dec3-5  at the Columbia Law School in Manhattan.

Facebook, Google, YouTube, MTV, Howcast, Columbia Law School, the U.S. Department of State and Access 360 Media are bringing leaders of 17 pioneering organizations from 15 countries together with technology experts .

These young leaders will form a new group, the Alliance of Youth Movements, which will produce a field manual for youth empowerment.

The New York summit will bring together such organizations as One Million Voices Against the FARC, Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide Intervention Network, Burma Global Action Network and Invisible Children.

The gathering was inspired by the success of the One Million Voices Against the FARC, a group started on Facebook.com by young people in Colombia. Aided by social networking technologies, the organization inspired 12 million people in 190 cities around the world to take to the streets in protest against the FARC.

Panels will discuss a variety of practical topics, including How To Build Transnational Social Movements Using New Technology, How To Use New Mobile Technologies and How To Preserve Group Safety And Security.

You can find more info here. and at Facebook blog.

Craiglist will discourage prostitution ads

Popular online classified ad site craigslist is going to discourage prostitutes and pimps to place their ads on this website.for this craigslist has decided to amend its laws. craigslist has decided that pimps and prostitutes has to pay a small fee, working phone number . Beside this they have to verify their credit card details . The revenue generated from this will be donated to charity organizations.