China To Make Yuan A Global Currency

Communist China on Thursday celebrated Christmas by announcing a high-end capitalistic dream: Making the Yuan an international currency. In the forex market and international finance, a global currency refers to a currency in which the vast majority of international transactions take place and which serves as the world’s primary reserve currency.

The government wants to implement some aspects of this dream in a limited fashion. It has allowed businesses in certain regions of China to make payment settlements in Yuan instead of using a reference currency like the US dollar, with South East Asian countries like Singapore. The Chinese currency will also be used as the medium for settlement between businesses in the pearl and Yangtze River delta regions and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, the cabinet, said.

The move might even draft the otherwise important role played by the Hong Kong dollar in international monetary system. Experts had earlier suggested that the Hong Kong dollar will come under serious pressure owing to the weakening of its economy in the wake of the global crisis and a rising Yuan.

Useful Tips

Men before you have done it and so will men after. Romans raised it to an art form. I am speaking about mean and grooming here. You don't really need to be into history to know how the Roman baths worked. Grooming isn't about sissy girl products. It is to do with being clean and general stuff like cutting your nails and brushing your teeth well. Take these basic steps a few notches up.

There is no point looking oil on canvas. Keep those pores in check with a soap-free bar. Wash at least twice a day.

More skin show means more sunscreen on exposed areas. You also have lips; so don't leave the lip balm for the girls. Get one with a high SPF index. While on the face, check out facials. If facials help girls I don't see why they should not help improve the skin of men. After all we are all made up of the same ingredients.

Agreement

Seeking to expand relationship in the energy sector, India and the U.S. have agreed to collaborate in developing gas hydrate resources, the ice-like structure that has natural gas trapped between water molecules found in abundance off the East Coast.

Both countries signed a memorandum of understanding this regard in Washington on Tuesday. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons and United States Geological Survey signed the memorandum of understanding for cooperation on exploiting gas hydrates found in Krishna Godhavari and Mahanadhi basins and Andaman deep sea. The agreement was signed according to the official statement issued.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, both the U.S. and Indian scientists will work in close cooperation on joint projects both in U.S. and in India. India also seeks cooperation from the U.S. General Secretary for the establishment of full-fledged gas hydrate research center in close association with the National Institute of Oceanography at Goa.

Astronomy

A team of German scientists has come up with compelling, new proof that a huge, giant black hole of unimaginable dimensions is at the very heart and center of our galaxy. For decades, astronomers have speculated about the possibility of a black hole at the Milky Way galaxy's center.

But because of the billions of stars, which lie between Earth and the hub of the galaxy, it has always been impossible to see what is actually at the center. Now the German researchers say they have established the existence of an enormous black hole at the center "beyond any doubt".

The scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, near Munich, conducted 16 years of studies on 28 stars circling the center of the Milky Way.

By studying the movements of these stars, the scientists say they were able to determine the characteristics of the object around which they are circling.

To overcome the age-old problem of penetrating the stellar dust and glare from billions of stars between Earth and the center of the galaxy, the German astronomers focused on infrared light wavelengths that can penetrate the dust clouds.

The European Southern Observatory Study, which began in 1992, was made using the 3.5 meter New Technology Telescope at the La Silla observatory and the Very Large Telescope- an array of four 8.2 meter telescopes at the Paranal observatory. Both operate from the Atacama Desert in Chile. The research is published in the Astrophysical Journal.

Bad Habits

We make our bad habits. And our bad habits make us who we are. A habit is any action that we repeat until it becomes almost an involuntary response. A habit may well be a conditioned response; when an action is followed by a desired result, you tend to repeat it. But if what you do repeatedly is enslaving you and getting in the way of a good life, do you really need to stick wit it?

If you are trying to get rid of bad habit, first be aware of what it is. Why do you think it is bad? Is it unhealthy like alcoholism, or is it stealing time away from your personal life (for instance spending too much time on the Internet)?

Often, what is not good for us seems to be the hardest to let go of. Probably because it fulfills a need that nothing good can. So next, look at your pay off. Why do you indulge in this particular habit? Perhaps smoking under stress helps you relieve some tension. And what is your trade off? Running your health, and of others around you. This should give you enough perspective on why you should make a change.

Sliding Market

Satyam Computer Services will not be looking at any new acquisition, especially in any unrelated sector, in the near future. Satyam's profit and loss statement is going to be affected due to the global market. The company, which was used to posting 30-40 per cent growth in its profits, would not touch those magic figures in the near term, according to one of their members.

To a query by the press persons one of their members admitted that Satyam Chairman B. Ramalinga Raju was upset over the turn of events. Asked if the worry was also due to allegations by the investors and the analysts that the plan was to siphon off funds into the family's exchequer he said no.

Satyam is not the only company, which is affected by the global economic problem. Let's hope that it recovers which makes investors happy.

Travel Makes You Stay Fit

It’s not often that life gives you an opportunity to press the pause button. Impossible deadlines and the fast pace of life make you want to run away from life, as you know it.

And, travelling has always been one of the most time-tested ways of recharging your batteries. It allows you to re-look prior experiences and discover new angles to things you never gave a second thought to.The important aspect of travelling is that it makes us stay fit. Many often ignore travel and work even during vacations which affect one's health.

Travelling is a sure shot bounding exercise- be it a group of colleagues taking off for the weekend or a more intimate type experience with a small group of friends.

A little music and a little fun go for a long way in strengthening relationships that you never knew you shared with someone; and creating new ones with people you did not know till now. Living off a suitcase is not everyone’s cup of tea though.

Having to share a bathroom with several people, sleeping through the abominable snoring of a roommate misplaced toothbrushes. These can put off some people. But then, your friends helping you find your things is something you will always remember.

Being away from home and office always brings with it a feeling of recklessness and irresponsibility, which, for once, is a good thing. Blame it on the fresh air.

What makes travelling a true delight is the unpredictability. You might have made elaborate plans to the nearest minute, but trust me- the more it deviates, the more fun it is. An early morning trek might have been on the agenda, but helping push and heave your bus that just suffered a break down in the middle of nowhere can be fun too.

Travelling is also a time for many firsts. The first time you rode an elephant, the first time you feel into a river thanks to a hopeful push from a “friend”- all diary-worthy moments, indeed.

Oh, I have run out of space before even beginning to talk about the actual place I meant to write about. Not that it really matters, though. As they say, it’s not about the destination, but the journey.

The Man

Adolf Hitler was the son of Petty Customs Official. In the First World War he served as a soldier and served became as a politician. He was an excellent orator who can sway the people’s emotions through his fiery speeches. He organized National Socialists Party or Nazi Party. He tried to capture powering 1923, but was caught and imprisoned for five years. He wrote a book called Mein Kampf (My Struggle) in the prison which became the Bible for Nazis. Hitler kept Swastika as his party’s emblem and his followers were known as brown shirts. By 1933 he became the single largest party in the German Reichstag (Parliament). He became a Chancellor. He created a strong unified and highly despotic state. He outlawed strikes. He replaced Trade Unions and Labor Front. He took steps to see that children were trained in Nazi cult.

Approach To The Game

The series between England and India was dubbed as a face-off between Kevin Pietersen and Mahendra Singh Dhoni as both of them are charismatic and adopt their own methods to smash the ball around the park. The public felt that their flamboyant approach would be a front line feature in their captaincy as well.

Though Pietersen displayed enough leadership abilities in persuading his team to travel back to India, he for some reason did not exhibit the much-expected flair in his captaincy. Dhoni for example, leads his side in the same manner that he bats and is hardly defensive unless he is left with no option. Similarly an aggressive approach was expected from Pietersen as a captain to go with his basic style of batting.

Contrary to expectations, Pieterson chose to adopt contrasting methods as a batsman and a captain. He did not show any reluctance to attack the Indian attack at Mohali and once he got into his groove, he played some audacious shots as well.

There were enough help for the bowlers at Mohali and it was rather strange that the English skipper did not provide his spinners with adequate close-in catchers.

But he has proved that he has the leadership qualities in him but at the moment he is bit short in strategy management and once the latter aspect starts to catch up with the former, he can go on to become as successful a captain as a Mike Brearley or a Mark Taylor.

Mentality

We live and work in a very rough world. We feel that unless we show ourselves to be better than the rest, we will get left behind. Unless we look after ourselves first, and map out a plan for our progress, no one else will do anything for us.

Living this way quickly brings pot the harshness in our nature. Being harsh on others and ourselves makes us insensitive and rough. Is there merit in being gentle in today’s world where elbows are ready to shove others out of the way? Glaring eyes tell someone that they are in the wrong place and sharp tongues slice up ideas no good.

Sometimes strong feet kick someone who does not belong, out of the group and take away their sense of belonging. When there is no gentleness within us or in our groups, people become mere objects without feelings, to be used and discarded. When it happens, we feel deeply hurt. Hurt feelings and anger area a trademark of a community devoid of gentleness.

Gloomier By The Day

The World Bank, like the global institutions, has been lowering its forecasts in quick succession, as the economic crisis keeps worsening. In November this year, the Bank and the IMF had forecast a contraction in the output of developed countries during 2009. Developing countries including India and China were expected to post positive growth rates but well below what they have been used to. Since then, data from many countries seem to go beyond the global institutions’ assessment and point to an even gloomier future.

The latest report from the World Bank paints a particularly dismal picture of the global economy, which is already on the brink of rare recession and will grow by just 0.9 per cent next year, compared to an estimated 2.5 per cent this year. If the World Bank’s projections are proved right, it would be the slowest rate of growth since 1982 when it registered a mere 0.3 per cent.

The bank has warned that the downturn could throw many developing countries into crisis and keep tens of millions of people in poverty. Developing countries are expected to grow by 4.5 per cent, a rate that is hardly comforting and will delay their efforts to address poverty and reach the millennium development goals.

Britney Spears Coming To India

While Britney Spears’s representative is busy denying reports that the pop star is dating Paris Hilton’s ex, Rocker Benji Madden, the latest on the troubled singer is that she is dating her new choreographer for the video of Womanizer–Sandip Soparrkar. Britney is all set to re-shoot the video of the song, after the first one got leaked on the Internet.

News reports have it that Britney was charmed by the dance that Sandip had performed with this partner Jessy Randhawa at Madonna’s 50^Th birthday party, and that’s when she decided to use his services for the new video.

What’s more, Britney will touch down in Rajasthan on a two-day trip for a special practice session in Jodhpur. Some news reports say that Sandip will also be taking her around Mumbai to show her the places that were recently attacked by terrorists.