<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> ur best bet is to go online to the nearest embassy to you and complete all the formalities and then approach them to submit it online or in person.
Good Luck!
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Our best bet is to go online to the nearest embassy to you and complete all the formalities and then approach them to submit it online or in person.
Good Luck! <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
My friend did that and recently heard couple of pathetic incidence, where embassy staff gave false information, misplaced paper, asked unnecessary documents. In Houston they gave wife PIO and dragged husband's PIO.
In San Francisco, they don't have parking space. Place is like a railway platform where you can't get any information and one can find rudest jokers behind windows. Sending anything by mail is scary.
I need this information for my friend who is worried to deal with Indian Embassy, San Francisco. I hope some feed back can help to comeup with better strategy and can help others here.
<!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo--> Ask MMS to bring back Hitler(Tytler)!
My own experience has also not been good but I went to Dy Mission and others. They are our mirrors.
<!--emo&:bcow--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/b_cowboy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='b_cowboy.gif' /><!--endemo--> NRI develops sensor to detect e coli
[ 26 Sep, 2006 0931hrs ISTPTI ]
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HOUSTON: An Indian American scientist has developed a sensor that can detect e coli, a bacteria whose recent outbreak in the United States killed a woman and hospitalised over 90 people.
The outbreak of e coli cases, traced to bagged spinach, shows that there is a need for better detection in food processing. Dr. Raj Mutharasan, a professor of chemical engineering at Drexel University, has developed a sensor technology that would meet this need.
The sensor can enable people to track the source of pathogens or bacteria in minutes rather than hours. Said to be precise, accurate and cheap, the intelligent sensor technology can provide a result within 10 minutes and can detect anomalies like e coli, with a sensitivity of four cells per millilitre.
The standard detection process of e coli bacteria in food processing takes about 24 hours. A sample is taken to a lab and placed on a nutrient agar. If e coli are present, they will multiply on the auger and researchers can visibly identify them.
According to a statement, Mutharasan's sensor can be placed into a palm-sized device that can be placed in the hands of food inspectors and growers, and is even cheap enough to one day enter the home.
The sensor uses E coli antibodies to detect the bacteria in much the way that human bodies work. These antibodies are affixed to a narrow sliver of glass. Attached to the other end of the glass is a ceramic layer that generates voltage in response to applied mechanical stress.
A voltage is applied to the ceramic layer, making it expand and contract, causing the glass sliver to vibrate. The sensor detects changes in the glass sliver's resonate frequency (the point where vibration is the greatest) and uses this to determine both the presence and concentration of E coli bacteria.
Mutharasan is working with a company to commercialise the device and expects it to be in the hands of food safety experts soon. Other applications for the sensor technology include detecting prostate cancer without a biopsy and detecting Alzheimer's disease.
Voting rights for NRIs soon
Times of India
28 Sep, 2006
NEW DELHI: The Indian government is likely to introduce an amendment to the
Representation of People Act (RPA) in the next session of Parliament to allow
voting rights for non-resident Indians (NRIs).
"The parliamentary standing committee has submitted its report which says these
amendments should be introduced," Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar
Ravi said at a news conference.
Earlier this month, Ravi had said that the standing committee's report was
positive and the bill would be passed without any major changes.
During the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2006, the annual conclave of the Indian
diapsora, held in Hyderabad in January this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
had promised voting rights to NRIs.
The prime minister had said the demand for such rights had a "convincing
political basis" and had assured the delegates that his government would take
appropriate measures in this regard.
BANGALORE: A five-member team of India-born medical researchers in the United States has discovered what may become a potent new weapon in the fight against colon cancer.
The scientists from the University of Texas succeeded in stopping colon cancer growth in mice by halting the activity of a single enzyme called aldose reductase.
Blocking this enzyme shuts down the toxic network of biochemical signals that promotes inflammation and colon cancer cell growth, the scientists reported in the latest issue of journal Cancer Research.
They showed that blocking the production of aldose reductase halts the growth of human colon cancer cells implanted in laboratory mice.
"By inhibiting aldose reductase we were able to completely stop the further growth of colorectal cancer tumour cells," they said. Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the US.
The team included senior author Satish Srivastava and his colleagues, Ravinder Tammali, Kota V Ramana, Sharad S Singhal and Sanjay Awasthi.
In their experiments on mice, the researchers implanted human colon cancer cells beneath the skin of "nude mice" - a hairless and immune-deficient variety commonly used in medical research.
Tumour progression stopped completely in the mice treated with genetic material known as small interfering RNA (or "siRNA") that was engineered to prevent cells from making the aldose reductase enzyme.
The treated mice seemed unharmed by the procedure. In contrast, the untreated control animals experienced uncontrolled tumour growth, they reported.
The researchers, however, point out that the gap between a brand new procedure that works in nude mice and one that works in humans is considerable.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Ruling out any provision for a Non-Resident Indian nominee in Indian Parliament, Minister for Overseas Citizens Vayalar Ravi has asked the diaspora to make 'intellectual' contribution to their motherland along with financial investments.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:red'>US cuts wait for visa at missions in India</span>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Press Trust of India New Delhi, October 5, 2006
Indians bound for America can now expect to face lesser procedural hassles, with the US embassy mobilising additional resources to eliminate by the year-end the waiting period for visa interviews which at present goes up to six months.
The US mission is also working to expand its Business Executive Programme (BEP) under which visas of company employees are processed on priority basis. This will involve expansion of the list of companies entitled for the facility.
"We are sensitive to the inconvenience and long waits for appointments which have characterised our visa processing system in recent months," US Ambassador David C Mulford told reporters after inaugurating new visa appointment system at the Embassy.
A similar system, under which the applicants waitlisted for the visa appointments can advance their appointments, has been initiated in American consulates general in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
Acknowledging that the prolonged waiting period was giving a "bad name" to the US, Mulford said "We have made a mission-wide commitment to reduce the waiting time for a visa appointment, with the goal of eliminating this waiting period altogether."
He said all those applicants, who have already got an appointment, should visit the embassy's appointment website to advance their schedule.
Additional manpower has been put at the embassy and consulates to clear the backlog and at least 12 officers are being sent from Washington for the purpose. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1813763,0008.htm
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-k.ram+Oct 7 2006, 07:09 AM-->QUOTE(k.ram @ Oct 7 2006, 07:09 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->4 Indians in today's pedophiles-caught-on-NBC. Their pictures should be plastered all over the Indian websites.. B&^%$#S
I have my doubts on this. Most westerners are so paranoid that if you play with your own child, they suspect you. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rolleyes.gif' /><!--endemo--> it's happened to my friends. Because they're pervs, they assume that everyone who so much touches a kid must be perv too. Not only that, I've read one case where an American middle-aged man was arrested because a young girl screamed at him, and immediately, this poor man was arrested only to be acquited later on. But the damage was done, and his reputation destroyed.
Bottom line, I'd be careful before trusting people deep in paranoia.
I am posting here info about two NRI crooks passing off as respectable persons in the community while trying their utmost to convert heathen Hindus:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2006/01/nr_20060119a
Suneel Shivdasani is a freelance IT consultant, with a background in engineering. He is a trustee of The Graham Layton Trust, which resources eye hospitals throughout Pakistan. Suneel is associated with the South Asian Development Partnership and its sister charity, South Asian Concern. He has worked as a diversity consultant in the charitable sector. Suneel is also involved with Diabetes UK, through supporting his young son, who is an insulin dependent diabetic.
Discipling Hindu Converts
LEAD02699
£3.99
Suneel Shivdasani<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Ram Gidoomal: Behind the Mask of Respectability
<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> I have sent the copy to VC Terrence Kaeley of Khajuraho fame
College to sex industry and back
Vijay Dutt
London, October 8, 2006
A group of female students is waiting in the lounge of an escort agency in London. Some have books splayed on their laps; others are keying in dissertations on laptops. In between they take a break, go out with men and return with more pounds in their handbags. The next day it is time for classes in some of the best universities in England.
A recent Kingston University study reported in The Sunday Times said more and more university students were turning to prostitution or sex-related work â all to fund their rising tuition fees. The number of such students has risen by 50 per cent in the past six years. The annual tuition fees for undergraduate courses have, meanwhile, trebled â from £1,000 (Rs 85,000) in 1998 to £3,000 now.
In the survey, 130 students were asked whether they knew any friends involved with the sex industry. One in 10 said they knew students who had stripped, lap-danced or worked at massage parlours and escort agencies to support themselves. Just over 6 per cent said they knew students who worked as prostitutes. A student of international management confirmed to HT: "Since the fees have gone up, we have to work in bars and parlours. We get generous tips."
An escort in London, who called herself Sophie, said she had been in the industry since 1999 to support herself through a Master's degree, and now a doctorate in international politics. "Instead of working in McDonald's, or at shops for £8 an hour, sometimes it is easier to work in this industry, make money more quickly, pay the rent and have time for your reading," she said.
Ron Roberts, lead author of the study, said the authorities should acknowledge the problem. The pound of flesh need not be extracted.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Over 1700 Hindus come together in Tampa for Hindu Sangam </b>
Tampa, fl, September 18, 2006: Over 1700 people attended a day-long celebration in Tampa on Saturday September 16, 2006. The celebration, held at the Sickles High School, was organized to mark the birth centenary of Shree Golwalkar Guruji and to bring the diverse Hindu community of Florida closer. The program, which was a resounding success, was inaugurated by Swami Aksharananda at 9:45 a.m. and concluded with an enthralling performance by the famous singer, Anuradha Paudwal, 12 hours later. This was the first major public event in Florida in which representatives from several Hindu organizations participated, under the stewardship of the Florida chapter of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA. In his inaugural address, Swami Aksharananda (a South American Hindu) emphasized the great gift of Hinduism, unity in diversity, particularly relevant to a world still struggling with the aftermath of 9/11. Over one hundred families participated in the opening Ganesh Puja held in the spacious gymnasium.
After lunch, there were three parallel activities: Balagokulam, consisting of games and story-telling for the younger children; activities for teenagers; and several panel discussions for adults, coordinated by Abhinav Dwivedi of Hindu University of America.
The afternoon session was concluded with a cultural segment showcasing the talent of singers, dancers, and musicians from across Florida. Of particular interest was the performance by two young brothers on the mridangam, traditional Indian drums. It was refreshing to listen to this rendition, rather than to the more popular tabla. The cultural segment was followed by a performance of the poet/singer/painter, Baba Mourya, who executed three fine paintings to accompany his verbal outpourings.
The keynote speech delivered by Shri Ravi Kumar, the Joint International coordinator of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, showcased to the audience the achievements of Hindus and the Hindu resurgence that is occuring throughout the Hindu world. Hindus and in particular the youth, said Raviji, were asserting themselves unlike their previous generation. He stated that the entire program of Hindu Sangam was organized by the youth and all activities had taken place as planned and on time.
But it was Anuradha Paudwal, who brought the packed auditorium to life with a mixture of classical, filmi, and traditional bhajans and devotional songs. Requests from the audience included the popular âPayojimainayâ which was composed by the 16th century poet, Mira. A visibly moved crowd stood and sang in unison along with Anuradhaâs concluding rendition, âJai Jadesh Hareâ â a fitting conclusion to Floridaâs version of Hindu Sangam 2006.
<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rolleyes.gif' /><!--endemo--> obviously Republican as haathi mere saathi is their symbol.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Most false visa papers from city </b>
<b>Hyderabad</b>, Oct. 18: Hyderabadis send the highest number of false documents while applying for US visas, according to Peter G. Kaestner, minister-counselor for consular affairs and consul-general of the US embassy. This continues despite a series of initiatives over the past few years with the State government to authenticate documents especially from universities.
âIt is unfortunate that cases of false documentation in Hyderabad is a real problem. Though we donât keep track of the number of cases, I can say the highest number in India are from Hyderabad,â he said. Explaining why the US wants to set up a consulate in the city despite the fake documents, Mr Kaestner said of the four lakh temporary visas issued in India last year, about 20 per cent were from Andhra Pradesh.
The visa demand from Hyderabad is expected to go up to between 1.25 lakh and 1.40 lakh in 2008 when the US consulate starts operations here. The consulate will have 15 visa windows against nine in Delhi and 16 in Chennai.
Mr Kaestner was in the city along with a high-level team of US officials to check out the possible venue for the US consulate: Paigah palace, which currently houses the Huda office at Begumpet.
He said the US consulate had yet to identify a location. He said Paigah palace would be a temporary venue. âWe want to have our own building and we prefer to have it in Cyberabad,â he said and added they were in touch with the Central and State governments for land in Hitec City. He said US visa aspirants now donât need to wait for months for a visa interview as the embassy officials were clearing backlogs and inviting those on the wait list to advance their interview dates.
He said only 40,000 applications were pending and the consulate wants to clear it by December. âWe have increased our ability to process visas. The number of interviews each day has been pushed up from 2,500 to 3,000 in all consulates in the country,â he said. âWe have sent e-mails to applicants to advance their interview dates. However, there is no pressure on this account,â he said. He said business visas would be issued in less than a week and people can send their applications online to US consulate offices and prefer any office for interview. Students will have no limitations in terms of visa. On the increasing demand for H1B visas, he said the US government issues 85,000 H1B visas.
âThe US government has decided to increase its numbers. But a rough estimate is that 50 per cent of these H1B visas are issued in India,â Mr Kaestner said. On the visa fee, he said the US wanted to reduce it from $150 to $100. âBut the Indian government charges $50 from Americans. We have asked the [Indian] government to make it $100 and we would also reduce it,â he said.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is sick!!!
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Seven Indians held in sex sting operation in California</b>
George Joseph, October 18, 2006
Seven Indian Americans, some in high-profile jobs, were among 29 people arrested in a sting operation in the Bay Area in California. They were held for trying to solicit sex with a minor over the Internet.
The Petaluma police department conducted the operation with help from other agencies and a volunteer group called Perverted Justice.
"All of them got bail later," Captain David F Sears of the Petaluma police department, told Rediff India Abroad. "They may get a jail term for less than a year. Those who came on work visas will be deported after the jail term," he said.
The arrests were the culmination of a six-month inquiry. The suspects arrived at a designated location in Petaluma to have sex with minor children, the police said.
The accused used Internet chat rooms and instant messages to make contact with minors. But most of these messages went to volunteers of Perverted Justice posing as minor girls. They asked the victims to come to a particular location where the police were waiting for them.
The investigation began in March when the Petaluma police department began working with Perverted Justice. The police had no idea about the predator or his background. But many of them turned out to be educated people, the police noted.
"I have no explanation why highly educated people commit such acts," Captain Sears said.
Sexual predators using Internet chat rooms to identify and meet children for sexual gratification has become a major concern for law enforcement agencies around the nation, the police said. Suspects routinely contact potential victims using various instant messaging services and electronic mail. They engage in chats that can shift from the innocent to the sexual. They have been known to converse with children for months while 'grooming' their potential victims, the police said.
Perverted Justice is a nationwide volunteer organisation that monitors online chat rooms and web sites to identify and expose such predators. The group consists of trained adult volunteers who enter chat rooms posing as minor children. Once contacted by adult suspects, the volunteers chat with them and try to ascertain their motives.
If sexual contact is the suspect's goal, the volunteer will continue communication, eventually ending in an arranged meeting between the suspect and the minor child alias of the volunteer.
Perverted Justice volunteers act as witnesses and cooperate with investigation by testifying in court, if necessary. These operations have been very successful in numerous areas around the US.
After several incidents involving Indians, Skand Tyal, then the Indian consul general in Houston, issued an advisory in April 2004.
He said he was acting in an unusual way because of the number of people involved in cybersex cases. "It seems to me that Indian students in particular are not quite aware of the severity of the offense, and there have been at least three cases in the recent past where so-called minors have actually turned out to be law enforcement officials," he had told this reporter then. "I am surprised that these people, who are so smart and are here to study disciplines like computer engineering, should be so careless about this."'
The Houston consulate also advised that anyone in a similar situation should not sign any documents, such as a waiver of the right to contest, or agreeing to be deported, without first checking with an attorney or the consulate.
The relatives of some victims also questioned the modus operandi of the authorities.
"These young people have not committed any crime. At best, the officials can prove that they had such an intention in mind," the sister of one person arrested, had said. "These people do not know any of their constitutional rights. So when they get caught, they panic and sign whatever papers are given to them, instead of calling for a lawyer." She wants the community to be aware of these issues.
"The younger people commit such mistakes and they pay with their future and life for such a small thing. It is really sad," she said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> ur best bet is to go online to the nearest embassy to you and complete all the formalities and then approach them to submit it online or in person.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> 
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rolleyes.gif' /><!--endemo--> it's happened to my friends. Because they're pervs, they assume that everyone who so much touches a kid must be perv too. Not only that, I've read one case where an American middle-aged man was arrested because a young girl screamed at him, and immediately, this poor man was arrested only to be acquited later on. But the damage was done, and his reputation destroyed.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> I have sent the copy to VC Terrence Kaeley of Khajuraho fame