www.BPODigest.com i-Vortal

Microsoft FREE Anti Spyware Download

For the last two to three weeks, I have been trying to fix a laptop that is horribly infected with viruses, email hosts and spy wares. I was aghast to see how malicious these can be even to a guy who works all the time with computers. Email Trojans made the laptop an email host and started sending thousands of spam mails across the world. The viruses took over the laptop and disabled the functionality of Norton Antivirus. They would not even allow me to go Norton's website to download the software. I had to download it onto a different laptop, copy to a USB memory device, install it on the infected laptop and run it after disconnecting laptop from the network. That solved the virus and email Trojans issues.

But, the bigger problem was adwares, they get installed automatically, establish registry entries and regenerate them selves even if you remove them. I tired using various softwares’ to get rid of them, but every time I tried to run these adwares, the result seems to be multiplied adwares. Finally I stumbled up on Microsoft site where M$ has a FREE (surprising, eh?) downloadable beta version of Spy ware. I installed it and it seems to be working, but is it really working ??? I don't think so, these adware dudes know how to trick M$. I hope M$ keeps this spy ware free for ever and makes sure that it works properly. M$ owes this to its customers for all their lost sleep.

Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) Home.

Exercise/Workout Tips From Not So Amateur!

All right, here we go, first let me establish my credibility to give these tips. I have been continuously performing either workout or yoga or meditation on an average of 2 to 3 times a week for the last 12 years. During these years I have meddled with various forms of workouts, yoga and meditation. Right now my passion is to roller blade, walk on thread mill and learn to swim. I think this introduction is good enough to convince you that this post is worth reading.

Now, lets get down to the workout tips part of the post. Exercising regularly is still a highly challenging task for many individuals; you may probably be one among them. The tips that I am writing here will help you to explore the world of exercise.

1. Create A Philosophical Motivation For Yourself.
2. Exercise the Meditation Way to Double Your Efficiency.
3. Persist the Yoga Way to Double Your Efficiency.
4. Power of Warm Up.

1. Create A Philosophical Motivation For Yourself:

   For many people grabbing that shoes and getting out to gym or trail is the biggest challenge. The best way to conquer this challenge is by creating a health philosophy that acts as a motivation for you. Quite early in my life, I have set a health philosophy for my self, that is:

   ‘I should never go to a doctor to get treated for the health complications that arise as a result of not getting enough exercise and bad eating habits.’

   This philosophy has been a great motivator for me and has been acting as a great catalyst. Even in situations where my body is longing to enjoy the bliss of being a couch potato, my brain will process my philosophy and will kick in the energy required to grab shoes and venture out.

   So, my first tip is that your MUST create a health philosophy for yourself and use it as a motivator to exercise regularly.

   
   

2. Exercise the Meditation Way to Double Your Efficiency:

   I am sure everybody who is reading this post must have done jogging. When you do jogging you must have observed that you get tired and start gasping with in no time. However, when you observe a seasoned jogger, they may seem to be gasping but they continue to jog for a longer periods of time. According to my experience, the one most important differentiator is the ability to control the breath. If you have ever done meditation, you know that one of the most important things that you concentrate on is your breath (pranayama). You will try to concentrate on the duration of breath and amount of air that you breath in and breath out. You try to manger the breath based on the feedback from the body and mind. By applying the meditation technique of breath control while jogging or working out you will be able to experience a significant increase in your efficiency.

   While doing aerobic exercises like jogging, running, cycling, etc., instead of concentrating on your body, try concentrating on controlling the breath. Try to breath in and breath out slowly and rhythmically just as you do while doing meditation. You will realize that you will be much less tired and so will be able to go longer distances.

   While performing anaerobic like weight lifting, bench press, push ups, squats, etc instead of using the strength of your muscles to lift weights, use the power of air that you breath in and breath out to lift the weights. You will notice that your efficiency increases exponentially with in seconds. You can try and figure out the right way for you to use the power of breath to lift weights.

   So, my second tip is that you should feel and treat an exercise regimen as a pure meditation session. Combine the meditation’s breath control technique while working out to increase your efficiency and enjoy your workouts. Treating exercise as a meditation and may also give the benefits that you get when you do the regular meditation.

   
   

3. Persist the Yoga Way to Double Your Efficiency:

   Yoga is an ancient Indian form of exercise that is extensively adopted in western countries lately. Yoga style of workout is based on certain number of yoga poses. In each pose, one has to sit/stand for a prolonged period of time to accomplish the desired results. This prolongation needs a lot of physical balance, mental strength and endurance. If one can learn to apply these qualities towards their regular regimen one can increase their efficiency exponentially.

   So, my third tip is that you should treat an exercise regimen as a yoga session. Remember the will power that you use to endure in a yoga session and apply the same technique to endure through the workout session. This will increase your efficiency and make you feel fulfilled at the end of the workout session.

   
   

4. Power of Warm Up:

   Why is it so important to warm up before any kind of exercise? Let me give you an example. You were watching a romantic movie in fully packed theater and suddenly somebody shouted that there is a bomb in the theater that will explode in the next 10 seconds. What do you observe the next moment? There will be total chaos in the theater, people will go crazy and you never know how many people are going get injured and few of them may also die.
   Well, if you start exercising without warm up, your body system will experience a sudden bomb scare and will go crazy. In that craziness, it ends up injuring various muscles, bones and even organs. However, when you go through the process of warm up, your body knows what to expect and it will prepare all its faculties for the challenge. A prepared mind or body is very powerful and effective than an unprepared one.

   So, my tip number four is that you should prepare your body for the exercise by warming it up.

That’s all I can tell you based on my experience. I hope the above simple tips will help you to motivate yourself towards having happy and active exercise regimens.

Parvati Cannot Sing for Shiva

Gargi writes about an incident where Parvati Khan was denied to sing for Lord Shiva, as her husband is a Muslim. Express Report:

“She created such a beautiful atmosphere here,” gushes priest Upendra Shikhre, unaware of Khan’s real identity. “Her voice drew hundreds of devotees here every day, many more than the temple normally sees on an average day. The last five days were so serene.” But now, priest Ulhas Aaradi is a bitter man. “If only we had known earlier…If people of Trimbakeshwar had known, they would have told her to get out.” Only Hindus, are allowed in the temple.

Gargi asks:

Panditji, who is a Hindu? or to be more accurate who isn’t a Hindu. or for that matter fact who is a Muslim or who isn’t a Muslim. If you truly believe in God surely then all paths lead to the same end.
And what religion is Shankar Mahadev. For he is the parama yogi and for him there can be no religion, and all are same. By violating the basic principal of Shavism - the priests have desecrated the temple. I hope that all of us who are devout and believe can take a stand and say that you don’t speak for us. For in the home of God all are welcome, for in the eyes of God all are the same.

A few centuries ago they wouldn’t have allowed a Vaishnavite into the temple. Now Parvati Khan is being denied entry. Indra Gandhi - while she was PM - was not allowed entry into some temples because she was a widow. And Dalits till date are not allowed into many temples.

Gargi laments:

Reading the article on Triambakeshwar has made me so very sad. This is not what we are about. And it is time that we spoke out against the hijacking of our eclectic traditions by medivialists. Let us not wait to become Saudi Arabia. Lets speak out now - if not for us, then for generations to come.

I grew up with a lot of muslim and christian friends in India. I used to go to both mosques and churchs along with temples and pray to god. My buddies also used to come with me to temples and pray there. Except for one christian friend, nobody ever asked me to try converting into other religions. India can be such a religion tolerant society some times. But, times seem to be changing, more and more intolerance is growing across the society. If we stop speaking out against such things we will end up leaving our feature generations in the control on fundamentalists and their ideologies.

Finally, a statement from Parvati Khan:

Khan says she was expecting the opposition. “I don’t feel bad because I know that God is with me in every move I make. I am moving as a messenger of peace and my devotion to Shiva is the same as that for Allah and Jesus.”

Bharatiya Blog Mela

Gargi, my favourite blogger from India has published a post covering the details of awesome blogs from India showcased @ Bharateeya BlogMela.

Its really tough to explain why I like Gargi's writings. She shows an 'In The Face' attitude in all her writings and I just love it.

AJAX Implementation on existing projects

http://www.theserverside.com/ has a post on how to use AJAX in the existing applications. The article points to AJAX implementation on SUN'ss standard petstore application.
The solution uses both a client-side AJAX engine, and an XML Pipeline server.

How to Volunteer in Dallas for Katrina Relief

Leia of DFWBlogs has published information about how one can participate in Katrina relief efforts in Dallas area.

Please visit How You Can Help in Dallas to find out information about the opportunities to volunteer as to do cash/goods donation.

They did it again.. Issues Fatwa against Sania

Newindpress.com reports that some cleric issued:'Fatwa' against Sania, the jewel of India.

A religious scholar reportedly issued a ‘fatwa’ about her dress code saying that Islam does not permit a woman to wear skirts, shorts and sleeveless tops.

“Veil can be dropped on certain occasions but not the way the girl is going about and playing in all those countries,” the scholar told a private news channel on Wednesday.

The comments of the scholar were extensively aired by the private television channel that also sought the views of women’s organisations on the subject, stirring a major controversy.

Maintaining stoic silence on the issue, Sania, who comes from a devout Muslim family, passed the query off saying that she has nothing to say about it.

I think this is totally outrageous. I just can't believe that some crack pot cleric issues a fatwa against Sania and the news are aired in TV channels and newspapers. I think the cleric must be jailed for trying to insult the girl who is a huge inspiration to millions of youth. The media also must do some responsible journalism.

Pioneer reports No, Mr Theologian, you can't play tennis in a burqa:

Aslam Razvi, advisory member of Jamaat-e-Islami, had taken umbrage over the clothes Sania Mirza wears on court. "We can't understand why she should be wearing the kind of dress she wears on court. Why can't she wear long skirts and full sleeve shirts?" Mr Razvi could try swimming in a mullah's robe to find out why.

Who's to tell these custodians of codes that it's not for them to lay down the line? That the country is immensely proud of this young girl who has made it to the list of top 50 tennis players? That she is a role model for kids her age and younger?

We should go the Singapore route as described by Atanu

Freedom of religion is guaranteed in Singapore but freedom to proselytize is not. Proselytizing essentially says that my religion is better than your religion and that if you don’t accept my god as the One True Savior(TM), you will rot in hell that my god has specially prepared for you. This sows seeds of discord in society and soon the newly converted start asking for special treatment and handouts and in the limiting case, when the bunch grows sufficiently large, ask for a separate state of their own because they cannot bear to live with the other people who are destined to go to hell.

So Singapore is strict about proselytizing. In keeping with their policy of discouraging that anti-social behavior, they caught a meek little Catholic lady who was going door to door peddling her religion and threw her into jail after she was found guilty by the courts. Then they publicized the event. This sent the message to all religious bigots who follow the dictates of their own hearts that bigotry is not ok.

They took care of the mullahs as well. Got them together and told them that if they even make a peep in their weekly religious sermons promoting killing and terrorism, they will have their butts in the sling. Live and let live was the message they got and as rational humans, the mullahs got in line. The last time they had communal unrest was sometime in the late 1960s.

Leadership....

Jonathan Byrnes writes about The Essence of Leadership in HBS Working Knowledge.

Jonathan defines Leaders as "people who leave their footprints in their areas of passion."

Jonathan continues:

Great leaders have to be ambidextrous. On the one hand, they have to be able to execute capably within the current business paradigm, "the way we do business." On the other hand, they must be able to reflect on the current paradigm, find ways to fundamentally improve it, and manage the large-scale change to a successful conclusion.

Can you be a good leader without being a good manager? In my experience, the best leaders are also great managers, and the best managers have strong leadership capabilities. To be successful, you must have both a passion for improving your organization and the capability to drive your efforts through to completion.

It certainly is possible to team someone who likes to change things with someone who prefers to manage stability. In fact, the most effective teams have one person who constantly pushes the limits and another who constantly ensures that the organization doesn't blow up. The former winds up going slower than he or she would like to, the latter winds up going faster than is comfortable, and the compromise is great for the company.

This article is a must read for everybody who thinks they are leader or who wants to be a leader or who is already a leader.

I have a great passion for things that I do at work. However, I am going to see how I can apply the leadership tips given in this article at my work.

McKinsey Report on India Offshoring

The McKinsey Quarterly: Ensuring India's offshoring future provides the steps for Improving India's offshoring prospects:

• Raise the quality of university education
  
• Move beyond offshoring hot spots
  
• Improve the infrastructure
  
• Move beyond IT and software
  

We will build 'NO' Again!

VatulBlog» Maitri a New Orleanean is giving update on New Orleans on a day to day basis. The blog gives most comprehensive update on the Katrina Disaster. She says:

It took centuries to transform New Orleans from a mosquito-infested swamp into one of the world’s unique cities. And in a day long rampage, Hurricane Katrina demolished it.

Are they talking about the same city that I just left and to which I plan to return? New Orleans wasn’t demolished; it has been flooded and is in disrepair. Parts of Moss Point, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Bay St. Louis and other towns in Mississippi were demolished, but not New Orleans.

As for New Orleans soul, it doesn’t merely waft from colonial architecture in the French Quarter and red beans & rice in the Treme. The soul of the city is in the beating hearts of its people. As long as residents of the Crescent City believe in their city and each one helps rebuild, where is the room for loss? 80% of New Orleanians evacuated and are starting to help the 20% that didn’t.

For true inspiration, read the Tribune editorial written after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, “The ability of cities to survive and thrive after disaster depends on large part on what they aspire to be, and whether they can reinvent themselves to meet that goal.”

If Chicago did it in 1871, London and Paris did it in 1945 and Kuwait City did it in 1991, New Orleans can do it in 2005. We have all kinds of soul.

Go on New Orleaneans, bring your souls together and we will be here for you.

Read more about Katrina here

Donate to Cook Children's Hospitals Katrina Victims

Cook Children's Medical Center has been chosen as one of the area
hospitals that will be receiving patients from the hurricane affected
areas.
Listed below are supplies needed to help care for incoming families:

Boys underwear (sizes 12 & 14)
Diapers (all sizes)
Womens underwear (adult 5, 6, 7 & 8)
Boys shorts and t-shirts (any size)
Toddlers clothing (2T, 3T, 4T & 5T)
Womens shorts/pants (any size)
Girls shorts and t-shirts (any size)
Mens shorts/pants (any size)
flip-flops (all sizes)

NEW ITEMS ONLY.

NO socks or adult t-shirts needed at this time

All shorts/pants - elastic or drawstring waist

Please deliver donations to the Community Relations office.
Questions, 682-885-4337

Jennifer Poe
Community Relations Specialist
Cook Children's Hospital
(682) 885-2867

Do you have a home to offer to Katrina VIctims?

If you can offer shelter to Katrina's victims visit http://www.hurricanehousing.org

Hurricane Katrina's toll on communities, homes and lives has devastated the nation. Now victims must face the daunting question of where to go next—and we can help.

Tens of thousands of newly homeless families are being bused to a stadium in Houston, where they may wait for weeks or months. At least 80,000 are competing for area shelters, and countless more are in motels, cars, or wherever they can stay out of the elements. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross are scrambling to find shelter for the displaced.

This morning, we've launched an emergency national housing drive to connect your empty beds with hurricane victims who desperately need a place to wait out the storm. You can post your offer of housing (a spare room, extra bed, even a decent couch) and search for available housing online at:

http://www.hurricanehousing.org

Housing is most urgently needed within reasonable driving distance (about 300 miles) of the affected areas in the Southeast, especially New Orleans.

Please forward this message to anyone you know in the region who might be able to help.

But no matter where you live, your housing could still make a world of difference to a person or family in need, so please offer what you can.

The process is simple:

You can sign up to become a host by posting a description of whatever housing you have available, along with contact information. You can change or remove your offer at any time.

Hurricane victims, local and national relief organizations, friends and relatives can search the site for housing. We'll do everything we can to get your offers where they are needed most. Many shelters actually already have Internet access, but folks without 'net access can still make use of the site through case workers and family members.

Hurricane victims or relief agencies will contact hosts and together decide if it's a good match and make the necessary travel arrangements. The host's address is not released until a particular match is agreed on.

If hosting doesn't work for you, please consider donating to the Red Cross to help with the enormous tasks of rescue and recovery. You can give online at:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=859

As progressives, we share a core belief that we are all in this together, and today is an important chance to put that idea to work. There are thousands of families who have just lost everything and need a place to stay dry. Let's do what we can to help.

http://www.hurricanehousing.org

Thanks for being there when it matters most.

—Noah Winer and the whole MoveOn.org Civic Action Team
Thursday, September 1st, 2005

Difference between Mumbai/New Orleans reaction to the dance of nature

I have been following Intentblog a lot lately. It usually has wonderful posts with deep insights.

A couple of weeks back Rahul Bose posted an interesting blog

It took a week. A week to bring this city to its knees. A week to bring this teeming, throbbing needle of land to its knees. And I can tell you this. It would have taken fewer days to bring New York to its knees. Or London. Or Geneva.

The reason for that is pretty simple. The Bombayite is like Joe Frazier. It takes a lot for us to hit the canvas. We never believe things are so bad that we cannot move ahead. Get to our destination. Make it happen. Which is why when there is a BEST strike it doesn’t faze us in the least. We get to our offices. If there are floods, we don’t spend a millisecond worrying whether our dabba will reach us. We know it will.

Non-performance is not an option. Read more We are still, human

The violent behaviour of residents of New Orleans in after the after math of hurricane Katrina has prompted Kanika Sethi to write Who would have thought Louisiana would be the next Mumbai? Or is it?

Yes, Rahul, you are so correct. It took much less time in New Orleans.

Americans now sit in shock, watching on television how thousands of their own citizens have become "refugees" in their own country. We are wondering why our once highly esteemed FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association) has not reacted fast enough.

And now we watch how Americans are reacting. Yes, there are those in Louisiana who are running out into the streets, looting, breaking into hardware stores and stealing guns. Police, as I've heard on CNN, are afraid to confront some of these gun-toting looters. Normal people are afraid to leave their homes. There are those who are cursing the government, those who, perhaps, have never been helped by the U.S. government (or maybe have always relied on the government for help), but greatly expect aid at a time like this, when they need it most.

Then again there are other Americans who are doing whatever they can. A woman on another website I visit daily explained how she and her husband were so moved they were sending $50K to a relief organization. Others, trained disaster relief personal and medical professionals, are rushing to help in any way they can. People are giving what they can and praying that help will reach those who need it.

It's incredible to see, how in this month of August (Monsoon Season in many parts of India) in two very different cities across the world, flooding has affected the psyche of two very different nations.

But, I think the reactions of victims of Mumbai and New Orleans cannot be compared. New Orleans residents are experiencing a disaster of this magnitude for the first time and so they don't know exactly how to react. They don’t have water drink, food to eat and are feeling totally lost, neglected and hopeless and so the natural tendency of survival of the fittest is kicking off violent behavior. In contrast, Mumbai residents have their share of previous experiences during numerous bloody religious riots and it seems Mumbai residents have learned from those experiences.

Whatever may the reaction of the people to the disaster, the reality is that tens of thousands of people are with out basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter. As fellow human beings, it’s time for all of us to reach out to these victims in every possible way.

Visit http://katrinahelp.info/ to know latest information about katrina relief efforts.