Gmail allows phone calls from computers

Google Inc on Wednesday said its Gmail service will add a feature that allows users to call any phone directly from their computers.
"Starting today, you can call any phone right from Gmail," Robin Schriebman, a software engineer at Google, wrote on the company's blog.
"We've been testing this feature internally and have found it to be useful in a lot of situations, ranging from making a quick call to a restaurant, to placing a call when you're in an area with bad reception," Schriebman wrote.
Google will roll out the new feature to US-based Gmail users over the next few days and is working on making it available globally, a news agency reported.
Users can call any phone in the US and Canada for free for at least the rest of the year, while Google also promised cheap international calls.
Calls to Britain, France, Germany, China, Japan and many other countries will be billed as low as two cents per minute, Google said.
Gmail already has a voice and video chat that allows users to talk to each other.


For more info, go to this link:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=188269

MPs get salary hike! Oops, it is without an appraisal?

I would like to draw readers’ attention to the news item about our MPs salary hike. The cabinet has approved a 300% salary hike for our beloved, committed parliamentarians. Alas, even now, they are not satisfied. Do they deserve it? Let us see.

The funny part of this whole affair is reflected in the words of CPM leader Sitaram Yechury. His speech correctly reflected the popular sentiments about the ‘unwanted’ and ‘shameless’ pay hike with public money for nothing, or worse, for creating pandemonium frequently inside the house for protecting their selfish interests. Moreover, the unanimity they showed while arguing for a pay hike could be used wisely to lead our nation towards progress and development. I forgot. They funny part of the whole story is that the MPs were given option to raise their salaries whenever they want. Does anyone else enjoy this privilege? I am afraid if they would argue if this one also comes under their privilege list.

Here comes another doubt. As in any other concern, do our MPs lose pay for being absent from the parliament? With all respect my nation’s great democratic credentials, I say our MPs don’t deserve what they ask for. I think it is not their low salary that prompted them to ask for more. From the voices emanating from the House, I understand that it is their inferiority complex that hurts them. What is the reason? They see that the secretaries (I mean the high ranking IAS and officers from other civil services) earn much more than what our MPs get. (An MP earns Rs 16,000 while a secretary earns Rs 80,000.) It was initially demanded that an MP should get Rs 80,001. What a comedy? It means they should get at least one rupee more than a secretary. I think the move and the mood of the MPs are obvious.

How the Speaker was forced to hold up the parliamentary proceedings in the absence of MPs? What were they doing during session? Please take a look at the news story.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/MPs-absent-proceedings-collapse-in-Lok-Sabha-during-Question-Hour/articleshow/5284190.cms
(Courtesy to timesofindia.com)

Details of MPs salaries and allowances

Salary: 16,000
Daily allowance: 1,000
Constituency Allowance: Rs 20,000
Office Expense Allowance: Rs 20,000
a. Stationary items: Rs 4,000
b. Franking the letters: Rs 2,000
c. Secretarial assistance: Rs 14,000

This is besides the travel and telephone allowances they enjoy.

For more details, log on to

http://loksabha.nic.in/

I think it is time our system should think of a performance-based appraisal system for our MPs. They should be made accountable for what they are doing. Do our MPs listen?

Readers should also take a look at the following article.

http://www.vallalarspace.com/vallalargroups/Articles/1280


It tells us about where our country stands now.
Jai Hind!

Temporary ban on BlackBerry service in India likely

The country may, for the time being, close down the services of BlackBerry if its security concerns are not addressed by the company.
BlackBerry is a product of a Canadian firm “Research in Motion”.
This development follows after the company agreed to hand over user codes (encrypted codes) to let Saudi authorities monitor its BlackBerry Messenger. Saudi had threatened to stop the services of BlackBerry earlier in the kingdom.
The security issue is seemingly with its encrypted email and messaging services.
India may temporarily ban BlackBerry services. India, a vulnerable nation to terror attacks, wants access to encrypted BlackBerry communication. The country fears the data transmitted can be used by elements hostile to this country.
It is interesting to note the double standard taken by this company regarding the provision permitting to access its encrypted data. While it is ready to let Saudi access the data, it denies the same access to India. Does it mean BlackBerry consider India a soft nation?

Additional Information

BlackBerry is a line of mobile e-mail and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) since 1996.
BlackBerry functions as a Personal Digital Assistant with address book, calendar and to-do list capabilities. It also functions as a portable media player with support for music and video playback and camera picture and video capabilities. BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive (push) Internet e-mail wherever mobile network service coverage is present, or through Wi-Fi connectivity.

For more information, log on to,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry

'Superbug' story haunts India's medical tourism dreams

A new superbug from India, named after country’s capital, could spread across the world, thanks to people coming over to India for affordable treatment. (Medical tourism)
New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1, in patients in South Asia and in Britain, say researchers.
It is reported that there have been three cases so far in the US, all from people who received treatment from India recently.
India has recently become hub of medical tourism, thanks to the affordable cost here and high expertise of doctors.
The superbug is said to be highly resistant to almost all the antibiotics, including the most powerful calss called carbapenems. According to experts, there are no drugs so far in store to tackle the superbug.
However, this news is viewed by many in India as an attempt by the West to arrest their sliding fortunes in the medical industry and to stop people travelling to India for better medical care at affordable cost.



What is a superbug?

Antibiotic resistance (also referred as New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1 is a type of drug resistance where a microorganism has developed the ability to survive exposure to an antibiotic. Genes can be transferred between bacteria in a horizontal fashion by conjugation, transduction, or transformation. Thus a gene for antibiotic resistance which had evolved via natural selection may be shared. Evolutionary stress such as exposure to antibiotics then selects for the antibiotic resistant trait. Many antibiotic resistance genes reside on plasmids, facilitating their transfer. If a bacterium carries several resistance genes, it is called multiresistant or, informally, a superbug.

The primary cause of antibiotic resistance is antibiotic use both within medicine and veterinary medicine. The greater the duration of exposure the greater the risk of the development of resistance irrespective of the severity of the need for antibiotics.

Courtesy:http://en.wikipedia.org