Month: April 2009
Today in History – 25 April
1960 1st submerged circumnavigation of Earth completed by Triton
1957 1st experimental sodium nuclear reactor operated
1938 1st use of seeing eye dog
1901 New York becomes 1st state requiring auto license plates ($1 fee)
Today in History – 24 April
1981 IBM-PC computer introduced
1929 1st non-stop England to India flight takes-off
1921 1st municipal elections for men and women in Belgium
1897 1st reporter, William Price (Washington Star), assigned to White House
1888 Eastman Kodak forms
1865 Fire alarm and police telegraph system put into operation in San Francisco
Common Admission Retail Test till May 30
Common Admission Retail Test till May 30
April 12 : The Common Admission Retail Test (CART) 2009, being conducted by the Retailers Association of India (rai) for admission to the Industry-Allied 18-Month Post-Graduate Programme in Retail Management (PGPRM) being offered at 17 B-Schools across India (See http://www.cart2009.com/choice-of-institute.html for the list of Institutions) can be attempted till 30th May 2009.
Candidates applying for CART must hold a Bachelors Degree of any statutory University with minimum 50% marks. Students who are in their final year of Bachelor’s Degree education may also apply.
The objective of the test is to assess the aptitude of an applicant for Retail Management Education, including Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Consumer Comprehension.
The examination is being conducted at over 32 centers across India. The full list of centres is given at http://www.cart2009.com/test-centre.html
The CART application forms will be available at retail stores of rai member organisations. Application can also be submitted online at http://www.cart2009.com/choice-of-institute.html Last date for receipt of the Filled up Application forms is 25th May 2009. CART Online Test can be taken till 30th May 2009. Sample questions of CART is given at http://www.cart2009.com/question-paper.html
Details can be had from Retailers Association of India, 111/112, Ascot Centre, Next to Hotel Le Royal Meridien, Sahar Road, Sahar, Andheri (East) Mumbai-400099 or from http://www.cart2009.com/
Advanced Course in Bioinformatics
Advanced Course in Bioinformatics
April 19 : Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh -500607, is conducting an Advanced Course in Bioinformatics (ACB).
ACB is a six months, fulltime course consisting of thirteen modules and an industry relevant project. Continuous evaluation is a part of the course structure where in day to day work of the students would be evaluated based on the performance through assignments and tests. Daily session comprises of 3 hours of classroom lecture followed by 4 hours of lab work.
The fee for the course which includes course material, computer facility & High Performance Computing facility is Rs.40,000/- for General candidates (18 seats) and Rs.50,000/- for Industry sponsored candidates (6 seats).
Applicant should be a B.Tech/BE in Computer Science/Chemical Technology / Biotechnology/Pharmacy/MBBS/BDS/B.VSc/M.V.Sc/ Post Graduation (M.Sc) in Computer Science/ Biological Science (Any branch of Life Science)/ Environmental Science / Biotechnology / Chemistry/Agricultural Science / Mathematics /Statistics/Physics and should have Good Knowledge in Bioinformatics, which requires exposure in Biology, Computer Fundamentals and Programming concepts in C Language.
Selection will be based on the performance in a Common Entrance Test (CET), covering Computer Fundamentals (40 Marks), Biology Concepts (40 Marks) and General Aptitude Test (20 Marks), to be held on 14th June 2009 (Sunday) from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm at IICT ZM School, IICT Campus, Habsiguda, Uppal Road., Hyderabad. Detailed syllabus of CET is given at http://www.iictindia.org/zacb/. Industry sponsored candidates should also appear for the CET. Separate merit list will be maintained for Sponsored candidates.
Application can be obtained from ‘Dr. U.S.N. Murty, Course Coordinator, Head, Biology Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, A.P-500 607, by paying Rs.250/- by way of Demand Draft drawn in favour of Director, IICT Hyderabad.
Application can be downloaded from http://www.iictindia.org/zacb/. Those using downloaded form should attach DD for Rs.250/- with filled in application form.
Last date for receipt of filled up application by Dr. U.S.N. Murty, Course Coordinator, Head, Biology Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, A.P- 500 607, is 20th May 2009.
More details can be had from http://www.iictindia.org/zacb/
PhD in Computer Science at IIITD
PhD in Computer Science at IIITD
April 19 : The Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Delhi has invited applications for the full time collaborative PhD Programme in Biometrics, Data Management and Software Engineering. Applicant should have good programming expertise, solid foundations in CS/Mathematics and interest in pursuing research in one of the above mentioned areas.
Applicant should have graduated within the last two years with a BTech/BE/MTech/MS/ME in CS/IT/ECE/EE with a good academic record (at least a CGPA of 7.5 or equivalent in IITs/NITs, or in the top 10% in his/her CS/IT/ECE/EE batch from other institutions). Requirements may be relaxed for candidates with publications/ R&D/software development experience in their area of interest. MCA/MSc(CS/IT/ECE) students are also eligible to apply with the condition that in their UG Course (B.Sc) they should have Mathematics as one of the courses, obtained first division marks in it, and have keen interest/capability/commitment in pursuing research. Students in their final semester of BTech/BE/MTech/ME are eligible to apply. Students in Electronics branch are also eligible to apply
Interview for admission may be done jointly by IIITD and the partner group. The main supervisor will be from IIIT Delhi and a co-supervisor can be had from the partner group. After completing the course work and starting the research, the student may spend 3 months to 1 year with the co-supervisor at the partner group/institution.
Stipend in first year is Rs 20,000 per month. It can be up to Rs 25,000 per month from the second to the fourth year. While at the partner group or organization, the partner will pay the stipend as per the norms. Institute will provide financial support to present papers in National and International conferences
Application can be downloaded from http://www.iiitd.ac.in/phd2009.php
Duly filled application form with 2 recommendation letters and a Cheque or DD of Rs. 200/- in favor of IIIT Delhi should reach ‘PhD Program Coordinator, IIIT Delhi, NSIT Campus, Azad Hind Fauj Marg, Sector-3, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078’, by April 28, 2009.
Test/Interview will be held at IIITD between May 15 and 16, 2009. The Results will be put on the website on May 22, 2009. Detailed information of the programme is vailable at http://www.iiitd.ac.in/Collaborative_PhD_programOfIIITD.pdf
കൂടല്മാണിക്യം : ആനയെ അണിനിരത്താന് സുരക്ഷാക്രമീകരണങ്ങള്
Today in History – 23 April
1988 A Greek pedals self-powered aircraft, 74 miles
1985 Coca-Cola announced it is changing its secret flavor formula
1972 Apollo 16 astronauts explores Moon surface
1968 1st decimal coins issued in Britain (5 and 10 pence)
1965 Launch of 1st Soviet communications satellite
1962 1st U.S. satellite to reach the moon launched
1959 1st heliport in Britain opens in London
1878 1st Dutch test drive of steam tram
1851 Canada issues its 1st postage stamps
1348 1st English order of knighthood founded (Order of Garter)
When prison is not the right penalty
When prison is not the right penalty
Mahmoud Habboush, THE NATIONAL, 22 APRIL 2009
Last Updated: April 21. 2009 / A minister yesterday said that two types of common offences – traffic violations and antisocial behaviour – could soon be punishable by community service.
A draft law was recently approved by the Cabinet that would give courts the power to order people convicted of minor crimes to work in the community instead of serving jail time.
Speaking to members of the Federal National Council yesterday, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, the Minister of Interior, for the first time specified the category of offences and types of community service that could be included.
It remained unclear, however, exactly what crimes would be covered.
Referring first to antisocial behaviour, he said community service could help address the fact that the federal Government had no plans to follow some emirates in introducing a code of conduct.
He was responding to a question by an FNC member from Abu Dhabi, Ahmad al Dhahiri, who complained about the lack of a federal code of behaviour.
Dubai, for instance, has introduced such a code. Among other things, it says that people can be warned or fined for public displays of affection.
In severe cases, they can face jail terms and deportation.
The emirate’s code also calls for people to respect the local culture and religion, and urges visitors to avoid wearing clothing that “exposes parts of the body”.
“The ministry has taken an important step which is the alternative penalty law that will be brought before your council … soon,” Sheikh Saif said.
“Community service was suggested for simple crimes committed by individuals instead of sending them to prison.
“People who face penalties are members of the society, and sometimes prison doesn’t achieve the punishment that the Government is seeking, and therefore community service is suggested.”
Responding to a suggestion by Mr al Dhahir that the Interior Ministry distribute a booklet explaining to foreigners how they should behave in the UAE, Sheikh Saif said: “I can’t make people read the criminal law.”
Instead, he said, a new department at the ministry, expected to start operating in the second quarter, would be responsible for promoting respect for the law.
He suggested it would take some time to educate visitors: “We can’t educate people in one or two years.”
Turning to community service for traffic offences, Sheikh Saif said: “They would be sent to schools to talk to pupils about their mistakes or would be told to spend time in the emergency rooms at hospitals to see for themselves the danger of their actions.” In the US and the UK, among other countries, community service is imposed for a range of offences.
Service can involve working in teams with other offenders, tidying up scenic spots, removing graffiti or carrying out anti-crime measures, such as installing gates and security locks. Others could be ordered to work in charity shops, for instance.
Also during yesterday’s session, the Minister of Health, Humaid Mohammed Obaid al Qattami, promised that more jobs would be created in the coming year for doctors and nurses in hospitals and clinics across the country.
Mr al Qattami was answering a question by Salem al Naqbi, a member of the Federal National Council from Sharjah, who said that Emirati doctors were doing jobs that were below their qualifications. The member also said hospitals and clinics were understaffed.
The minister said measures were being taken to “improve the conditions” of ministry staff. He said the ministry had more 1,766 job openings in 2008, most of which have been already filled.
“Hopefully, in co-operation with the Ministry of Finance in the coming weeks the conditions of more than 700 employees will be improved,” Mr Qattami said.
The FNC members also passed a draft amendment of some articles of a 2006 law on the banning of production, storage and use of chemical weapons. It calls for the creation of a national committee to monitor and regulate the use of dangerous chemical substances and chemical weapons. The committee would be also responsible for enforcing the law.
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