News Source: Forbes.com News Highlight: You crank up your computer every morning, click to your e-mail and--whap!--a slew of messages demands attention. E-mail can be a great tool, but many misuse it, turning what should be quick, easy communication into a laborious, time-consuming management chore. "Many people use the inbox as a to-do list, calendar and filing system," says Mark Hurst president and founder of Creative Good, a consulting firm in New York. "File some messages and delete most of them, but without a doubt, don't let anything stay in your inbox permanently." Hurst says effective e-mail management is built on filters, filing and ruthless use of the delete key. URL of the news item: http://www.forbes.com/careers/2005/09/22/email-microsoft-work-cx_sr_0922bizbasics.html Read more

FINE This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine" to describe how a woman looks - this will cause you to have one of those arguments. FIVE MINUTES This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an even trade. NOTHING This means "something," and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" Read more

The prospect of pandemic from Avian flu is on the horizon.. this is an interesting article on how it was in 1918 when the world was caught in another pandemic of flu. And at that time the pandemic had gone around the world in less than 18 months.. without any airlines or other mass or global transports of today.. guess what could happen now!? A flu virus that killed tens of millions worldwide after it appeared in 1918 has been recreated in the virological equivalent of the Jurassic Park story. Scientists rebuilt it from pieces of genetic material retrieved from the lungs of people who died 87 years ago. Researchers writing in the journals Science and Nature say the tightly guarded replica is even more virulent than they expected. Read more

This is fairly interesting! Tintin goes into Rural markets now! The exploits of the cartoon character, Belgian boy-reporter Tintin, have delighted people the world over for 75 years now. And Tintin comic books and DVDs in English have been imported and sold in India for many years. But now for the first time, DVDs and Video CDs (VCDs) of "Adventures of Tintin" have been launched in Hindi too. The comic character's enduring charm is not the only reason why Tintin has learnt Hindi. Read more

(Material courtesy Wikipedia.com) * Publisher: Random House o Publication date: June 02, 2005 o ISBN: 0224071262 * Publisher: Knopf o Publication date: October 18, 2005 o ISBN: 0679422714 Mao: The Unknown Story is an 832-page book written by the (married) historians Jung Chang and Jon Halliday after ten years of research. It was published in 2005 and paints Mao Zedong, Mao Tse-Tung in Wade-Giles, the former paramount leader of China and Chairman of the Communist Party of China, as being responsible for mass murder on a scale similar to, or greater than, that committed under the rule of Adolf Hitler or Josef Stalin. Read more

Here is a mail on Ryze.com from a guy in Bangalore! It details his problems due to the Railway Police in Bangalore: Link for the mail I would like to bring to notice a certain injustice that I have subjected to at the Bangalore Railway Station (Majestic). On September 30 (Friday), 2005, I had been to the station to see off my fiance and her mother. They took the Karnataka Express (Train #2627) to Jhansi at 6:30 pm. On my way out I was asked to present my platform ticket by a railway official. On producing the same, the TT turned around and told me "What if I say that you haven't given me the ticket?" Before I could react, he along with his colleague pushed me into the adjacent enquiry cabin and physically manhandled me. I was slapped several times, my spectacles were grabbed and deliberately crushed by foot, and my phone was flung away from me. The RPF comprising of one RPF and four constables, appeared on the scene. The surrounding public was whisked away. None of the railway police officials cared to listen to me and they started hitting me indiscriminately with lathis. They dragged me out, and all the 4 constables continued hitting me with lathis from Platform 1 to Platform 3/5, till we reached the station master's cabin. Racist abuses and threats were made on the way. At the station master's cabin, I was told that I have been charged with a non-bailable offence and would be behind bars for 15 days. Read more

News Source: Smartpros - IMA site News Highlight: "A growing number of businesses are adding accounting and finance personnel to support expansion plans," said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. "This has led to demand for staff and senior accountants, as well as financial analysts who can help with budgeting and forecasting." Messmer added, "Corporate governance mandates also continue to fuel financial hiring activity, both on a full-time and consulting basis. Many organizations underestimated the resources required for compliance initiatives and now seek experienced accounting professionals to help them assess and strengthen their internal controls and assist with remediation efforts." URL of the news item: http://accounting.smartpros.com/x50003.xml Read more