Outlook Money editor quits and exposes outlook

Monika Halan has quit Outlook Money and in the process has exposed the wrongdoings at Outlook 

Test of resignation

Dear All,
I am deeply upset to tell you that I have resigned. For the last three years we've been like a close-knit family and to leave like this so suddenly is not nice I know. But there is an increasing conflict of interest between edit and management and my work ethics do not allow me to be a party to this. As always, transparency is the key word and
I want to share why I am taking this step.
1. The OLM Awards are being used to fulfil the advertising goals of the Group. In fact, we were all part of the meeting where we were told that the award should have gone to LIC despite it not making the cut since it is a large company with many readers as policyholders. In a subsequent mail from the President, I was told that the concern is that LIC has withdrawn all ads to the Outlook Group. I see it as a clear conflict of interest between ad and edit, especially since edit has sincerely worked on the awards in an attempt to make them the most
unbiased awards in the country -- and for which we involved eminent market professionals like Dr R.H. Patil of CCIL and Ravi Narian of NSE.
2. Edit is being blamed for falling circulation. When we were doing 1.5 lakh copies a fortnight there was no sharing of credit with edit by the management. But in the middle of a global downturn when the circulation of a market-linked product like OLM slips, edit is being blamed. I think all of you pull really hard, work sincerely and have re-created a sinking brand to a world class product that OLM is today.
On behalf of all of you comprising this fantastic team as well as personally, I do not accept this blame.
3. There is direct management intrusion into edit now. We are being asked to get our cover stories cleared by the publisher and send our stock picks to Outlook Profit for clearance. I think this is an insult to a team that has proved its worth many times over. I think the Group will be happier with a more pliable editor. I am not that person.
Good luck to you all. And keep in touch -- you guys rock! One last meeting tomorrow at 11? See you.

Warm regards,
Monika
--
Monika Halan
Editor, Outlook Money
8th Floor, NAFED House,
Ashram Crossing
New Delhi -110014

YSR and minority AID from public money exposed!!!!

Grant-in-Aid Sanctioned by Government of Andhra Pradesh to various Christian Churches from Feb 2008 to Jan 2009 = 258, worth Rs. 263 Lakhs of public money.

Grant-in-Aid Sanctioned by Government of Andhra Pradesh to various Wakf boards from Feb 2008 to Jan 2009 worth Rs 1013 Lakhs.

Details here ------> http://suryassk.googlepages.com/AP_GOs.htm 

Not a single GO granting any aid to a Hindu temple can be found. This in spite of the fact that in AP, the Hindu temples are managed by the Endowments Ministry (put it simply they take all the money which the temples generate). Govt takes away all the money which Hindu temples generate, but do not grant a single penny to any of its temples. It does not touch the money from Christian and Muslim institutions, but grants them huge amounts of money.
[All the data courtesy Surya, owner Hinduism community]

Other freebies being doled out by YSR from public pockets
details ----> http://www.apsmfc.com/ (please donot open this link as my Anti Virus detected a trojan there)

NOTICE from website: The First batch of Christian Mass Marriages in all the Districts will be held on 11-12-2008. The time and venue will be intimated shortly. The Parents/Guardians who intends to perform their daughter's marriage in Government sponsored MASS MARRIAGE scheme, and fulfills the eligibility criteria may apply in the prescribed format and submit the filled in application forms with required enclosures to the District Minorities Welfare Officer/Executive Director, APSMFC Branch Office of the respective District.

This means that Christian marriages are now state sponsored. How about less privileged in Hindus? do they have to get converted to get this benefit? Wont this automatically encourage conversion as it means Get your Hindu daughter married to a Christian for free!!!  

Should be read along with ----> THIS

Rahul Gandhi: Government not doing much for 26/11 Heroes

Breaking News! In a surprising development, which may put the ruling UPA government in an embarrassing position, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has turned the heat on his own government, saying it is not doing much for the 26/11 heroes, who laid down their lives during the recent Mumbai carnage.

Speaking at a meeting of Congress functionaries in Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi described martyr Tukaram Ombale as a hero. He saluted Ombale for fighting the terrorists even though he did not have a weapon. Rahul admitted that the government needed to do more to hail the real heroes of the country.

"Despite having only a lathi to fight, Tukaram Ombale snatched the gun from one of the terrorists and allowed others to capture him. Ombale got seven bullets in his stomach in the process and died a martyr's death", said Rahul.

Well, I am sure why Crown prince keep forgetting that its congress government both at centre and state? if Rahul is not satisfied with performance of these governments, he should either fire them(he can do it being crown prince) or leave the party. BUT PLEASE DONT PLAY BOTH SIDES

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Can an Indian PM take oath on Gita?

Barack Obama, the first black-American President of the US, on Tuesday took oath on the same Bible used to swear in Abraham Lincoln in 1861.

Point to Ponder: Can an Indian PM take oath of office on a Gita and quote from it?

China tunes out of Obama's reference to communism

While millions across world tuned into Obamas inaugural speech, Chinese media tuned out from his references on communism.

Obama said in his 18-minute inauguration address said

"Recall that earlier generations faced down communism and fascism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions," 

He later added:

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

After the Chinese translator said the word "communism," the China Central Television feed went briefly silent, then shifted to an anchor who stumbled through a question to an analyst about what type of difficulties Obama faced with the US economy. The analyst looked equally caught off-guard. In the text translations available on top Chinese Internet portals Sina and Sohu on Wednesday, the word "communism" is omitted and the paragraph on dissent was gone.

Leopards never change stripes

India checkmated due to UPA lies?

Pakistan has said if India persisted with its demand for the extradition of Pakistani nationals linked to the Mumbai attacks, Islamabad would seek the handing over of persons involved in the 2007 bombing of the cross-border Samjhauta Express train.

After reports appeared in Indian media suggesting a possible link of the Malegaon blast accused with the train attack, political leaders here have been saying that the Government should seek the extradition of Indian nationals, including Col S K Purohit, for the Samjhauta bombing that killed nearly 70 people, including Pakistanis.

"If the Indian demand for handing over the accused in the Mumbai attacks persisted, then the accused of the Samjhauta Express case might be asked for" by Pakistan, Interior ministry chief Rehman Malik told Geo News yesterday.

It was UPA who claimed

Purohit had 60 kg of RDX: ATS

Nashik: Lieutenant-Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, a serving Army officer and a key suspect in the Malegaon blast of September 29, had 60 kg of RDX in his possession while he was in the Army’s Deolali camp in 2006, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) special prosecutor Ajay Misar told the Nashik court here on Friday. He was seeking Purohit’s remand extension.
Calling Purohit a “mastermind,” Mr. Misar argued that portions of the RDX were used in Malegaon and the Samjhauta Express blast of 2007.

And Later retracted it

ATS retracted RDX claim under pressure

It was pressure from an embarrassed Centre which forced the ATS to go back on its charge that 60 kg of RDX allegedly pilfered by Lt Col Prasad Purohit was used in the Samjhauta Express blast last year. Even though the ATS' public prosecutor Ajay Misar had told the Nashik court on Saturday that the RDX allegedly stolen by Lt Col Prasad was used in the Samjhauta blast, on Sunday the ATS claimed that he has been misquoted by the media.
Soon after Misar made the sensational charge in Nashik, the intelligence bureau (IB), which is keeping a close tab on the probe, alerted the Centre about the implications of Misar's statement. When the train blast took place, the Centre had blamed Pakistan's ISI for the terror strike on the basis of the bureau's findings.
"But the ATS' charge on Friday would have seriously impaired the Centre's credibility internationally. The central government has been informing its counterparts in the US and other countries about the role of the ISI and here the ATS was claiming that the blast was the handiwork of a serving Indian Army officer. Forensic examination of the blast site and two unexploded bombs had conclusively proved that RDX was not used, but the ATS was levelling an allegation to the contrary," a senior bureau official observed.

Those who are interested in "The third Wheel"

A must read book for salacious tidbits about the alleged amours of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty (Nehru-Padmaja Naidu, Nehru-Edwina Mountbatten, Feroze-Kamla Nehru, Feroze- Lekha Pandit, Indira-M O Mathai, Indira-Dinesh Singh, Indira-Dhirendra Brahmachari)

Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi By Katherine Frank

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002

You can get an overview of the book from following link.

http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=0eolM37FUWYC&printsec=frontcover

SHAME on Rahuls Poverty tourism

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Discovery of India’ is following such bizarrely unconventional ways that it is impossible not to subject it to public scrutiny. Last week he thought he needed a phirang co-discoverer and hence took British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to spend a night on a charpoy in the cowshed of a poor dalit widow in a village near Amethi, his parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh.  

Miliband, 43, slept in Karma Devi’s house, whereas Rahul had a sleepover in the thatched hut of Shiv Kumari, another dalit woman in the neighbourhood. Rahul explained the purpose of this rural rendezvous:

“A lot of people come to India and they have a particular perspective based very much on the big cities. I thought it would be quite interesting for the foreign secretary to come to rural India.”

There was of course the mandatory visit to a milk collection centre, a school, a hospital and a women’s self-help group—all bearing the name of the Gandhi family. But make no mistake, it was India’s poverty on display for the benefit of Britain’s PM-in-waiting, courtesy the Congress party’s PM-in-waiting.

As Miliband himself wrote in his blog while leaving for Amethi:

“800 million Indians live on less than 2 dollars a day, 450 million on less than 1 dollar and I will get a chance to see some of the gap that exists between metropolitan middle class India and the rest.

How is Rahuls Poverty tourism different from this ------> tourism-or-voyeurism-at-its-worst

Has our Foreign Minister lost his bearings?

Mukherjee said in a statement today

“We have never given up on the demand that perpetrators of the terror acts should be handed over to India,”

“There is no question of that we have given up that demand or we have climbed down.”

Its only yesterday, The minister told Aaj Tak television channel that India would accept Pakistan putting Mumbai attack suspects on trial provided that the legal process was “transparent.” 

Today India stands DEFEATED

In a SHOCKING change of  public position on the extradition of the Mumbai attackers to India, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee has told a news channel that if for some reason the suspects can't be handed over to India, then there should be a fair trial in Pakistan.Pranab said

"Indian fugitives should face Indian justice. Others who have committed crimes against India should also be extradited. But if for some reason that is not possible, then there should be a transparent trial in Pakistan," .

India has not identified any Indians behind 2611. From our past experience with Pakistan, this essentially means NO ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AGAINST 2611 culprits

All the public posturing was FAKE...

India stood tall inspite of 100's of terrorist acts but today we hold our head low defeated and humiliated thanks to our SPINELESS government

Marad carnage: Life sentence for 62 convicts

The Special court in Kozhikode, Kerala sentenced 62 of the 63 convicts in the May 2003 Marad carnage case to life imprisonment. In May 2003, A group of Hindu fishermen sitting on the beach near a temple is attacked suddenly, without provocation or warning, by a mob of Muslims armed with swords. After a chaotic ten minutes, nine people are dead or bleeding to death on the beach. Many are seriously wounded. The attackers vanish into the night.

The police commissioner, TK Vinod Kumar later stated:

"It was an operation carried out by a well-knit organisation. It was a quick and sudden attack which was over in 10 minutes. The attack came from a particular community.

Crime Branch Inspector General of Police, Mahesh Kumar Singhla later confirmed that most of those arrested included the activists of the NDF, the IUML and the CPI-M.

Report of the Marad Carnage Inquiry Commission, headed by Justice Thomas P Joseph, said the then state government had failed to protect the lives of innocent citizens and "unjustifiably" refused a CBI inquiry after 14 fishermen were killed in Kozhikode by armed mobs. The role of Islamic organisation National Democratic Front and IUML has also come under the commission's scanner. Two IUML leaders — Mayin Haji and Moydeen Koya — are named as active accessories to the carnage. Many of those who gave evidence to the commission said IUML leaders, particularly P K Kunhalikutty and E Ahmed, were protecting the violators.

Inspite of commissions finding neither Congress & IUML Led UDF nor CPM led LDF has taken any actions to punish the masterminds.

During last assembly election, NDF activists were seen actively campaigning for Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. Some CPM veterans admit they played vote bank politics. T K Hamsa , CPM MP says

“We are a democratic party and we have all the right to play vote bank politics come what may,”

NDF leader E Aboobacker says

“Why has Pinarayi Vijayan suddenly turned against us? How can a person blame us while investigations are still on,”  .

Not surprising coming from a state where a special session of the Kerala Assembly was convened to pass an unanimous resolution by both LDF and UDF members calling upon Tamilnadu Government to release Terrorist Madhani who is lodged in Coimbatore Jail. 

David Miliband endorses Rahul Gandhi

Congress is out to prove that their PM Candidate Rahul Gandhi is second to none. If Modi can get endorsement from India's Business Leaders, congress has gone a step further. They after taking into consideration their European linkage (Congress was formed by British and is lead by ex Italian) has now managed to get endorsement from British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. 

Perhaps as a prelude to the endorsement he took British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his 11-member delegation was given a guided tour of Amethi. On his return from Amethi,  Miliband  said

Rahul had a "wide range of qualities" for which he had "high regards."

I am sure the congress high command would be beaming ear to ear for this endorsement from Queensman himself.

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Showing off Pets???????

Happy Birthday Mayawati

We wish you a Happy Birthday. May soul of Slain PWD Engineer Manoj Gupta forgive you. May Good sense prevail on Assorted communists led by CPM .

Please also read Story of a Magnate

You cannot grow hops in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hops are the female flower cones, also known as strobiles, of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus). They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine

It seems that you cannot cultivate Hops in Jammu and Kashmir because it hurts he religious sentiments of the people. Now you would be wondering how can growing a plant affect the Religious sentiments?

The story goes something like this. Kingfisher used to grow hops in Shilvat in 1973 but the facility was destroyed at the start of insurgency. for the unaware, Hops are used to balance the sweetness of the malt with bitterness. The more hops added, the bitter the beer. Now buoyed by the new secular and democratic government at helm, Kingfisher proposed to to resume growing hops immediately triggered protests from separatists.

Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Bashir-ud-din said Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim-majority state and nothing that goes against the religion of the majority would be tolerated. He said

“He (Mallya) should desist from going ahead with the project as it will hurt the sentiments of people. We will start peaceful protests against such deals,”

Hardline women’s leader Aisiya Andrabi, who heads the Dukhtaran-e-Milat, slammed Mallya’s proposal and said her group would start a campaign against the government, which she blamed for supporting the move. she said.

“Liquor sale or consumption is against our ethics and morals and I am sure this proposal has the blessings of the government,” 

In the end Vijay Mallya’s Kashmir Hops dream has crash-landed, with chief minister Omar Abdullah ruling today that the liquor baron can’t grow hops in the state.

Secularism indeed.....

 

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Greeting Card to Zardari - PM's Munnabhai Move?

On one side of the spectrum, India is accusing Pakistan of supporting terrorism in India and other side Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is sending Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardaria New Year greeting card with a message of peace!

The card has a dove printed on the front and says  “with all good wishes for the new year.. inscribed by both Dr. Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur.

I being a "peace loving Indian" am really heartened to have a PM who even at such moments like this didnot forget to send "Good Wish" card to our detractors. I am sure with "Good Luck" he didnot mean "wish you good luck next time and may you kill 1000 and not lowly 100 as in 2611".  However, I being a dimwit(and non secular) donot understand the significance of this move. Is it because having failed to take any concrete action against Pakistan, PM has resorted to  "Munna Bhai" move hoping to shame Pakistan into action?

By the way did PM remember to send "Good Wish" card to parents of brave martyrs of 2611. I am not sure how they will react to the news that PM has send "good Wish" Card to people who killed Only Sons.

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BackBencher Rahul Gandhi

Some time back, Lamenting the poor quality of education in India compared to other countries, AICC general secretary and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi took a dig at his alma mater, St Stephen’s College. He Said

“We don’t ask people (students) to ask questions. When I was studying at St Stephen’s College, asking a question was not (perceived to be) good in our class.
“You were looked down upon if you asked too many questions.”

But Stephanians thought otherwise.
A teacher who taught Rahul when he joined the college in 1989 to pursue History (hons) Said

"Rahul Gandhi always came with a couple of security guards to the college and mostly preferred to sit on the back bench and didn't ask anything. At St Stephen's, we not only encourage students to ask questions, but to ask even uncomfortable questions so that we can teach them to have an opinion,"

Pankaj Misra, an alumni who now teaches Sanskrit in the college, says,

"Rahul was two years my junior. He was neither too good in studies nor a regular student. So it doesn't really mean anything if he makes such remarks."

Another faculty member at the college who requested anonymity pointed out,

There are nearly 36 clubs and forums at the college which promote a liberal culture. The Informal Discussions Group allows students from all courses to discuss varied issues. But during his year-long stay at the college, Rahul hardly participated in any of these forums."
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Rahul as next PM

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee says

The day is not far when Rahul Gandhi will become the prime minister,

What do readers think?

Secular NDTV

NDTV today published the news of Heavy devotee rush at Sabarimala, one of most revered Hindu Shrine in South of India.

However as if to "expose" some nefarious activities in sabarimala and warn the pilgrims, they included two other negative news articles with the bulletin !  I am not sure what was the relevance of those two news with devotee rush at shabarimala? Why did they club these together

Did NDTV make any such claims when they released the news of Sainthood Alphonsa. Did NDTV question Miracles attributed to Alphonsa? Did they include news on churches sexual abuse history along with the news?

If not then why here?

A secular test for NDTV

Step 1: Try the following query in Google search bar and see the result

site:www.ndtv.com Alphonsa
Once you have above

Step 2: Try the following in Google search bar and see the result

site:www.ndtv.com sabarimala
and see the result of first 20

The difference in Qlty and tenor of article will prove the secular credentials of NDTV 

Pro Left cleric to set up shariat court in Kerala

A shariat court that would play a mediatory role in settling disputes within the Muslim community is proposed to be set up at the Sunni Cultural Centre here.
A spokesperson for the centre said the decision to establish the shariat court for speedy and fair settlement of family disputes as well as issues affecting the Muslim community was announced recently in Mangalore by Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musaliar, Sunni leader and general secretary of the Sunni Scholars’ Organisation of India.

there are 2 groups of sunnis in kerala : EK and AP.EK is led by Muslim league supremo Shihab thangal and during last 2 elections all prominent cpim leaders starting from prakash karat visited kanthapuram's main madrassa in kozhikode in order to solicit muslim votes of AP group for the left.

Hurray now, Kerala is truly secular. We have Shariat court system in kerala

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Chidambaram says "see you next time"

Speaking exclusively on NDTV's programme Walk the Talk, Home Minister P Chidambaram has said

if all the power centres of Pakistan genuinely get together and guarantee that this will not be repeated. See, the price they will pay if this is repeated, I think, will be enormous.

Shocking statement. This means that India is not going to take Pakistan to task this time and its going to wait for terrorists to kill another 100 Indian!!! Is life of an Indian so cheap?