Indian American Org Sam Rao blog

CONGRATS INDIA’s SPACE PROGRAM PLANTS FLAG on MOON and a PROBE

desivoxpopulis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:42:56 +0000

CONGRATS INDIA’s SPACE PROGRAM PLANTS FLAG on MOON and a PROBE
Hail the Space Program of India, a completely indigenous Science and technical program has officially landed on the Moon., with Chandrayaan-1’s probe landing on the moon on Friday night 8:31 pm IST, the Indian Tri Color flag has made its maek on the Moon surface, INDIA joins a small group of Elite nations, which has a successful space program and a presence on the Moon.

The spacecraft was built in India, put into orbit by the Indian rocket, PSLV-C11, and the launch took place from India The spacecraft has 11 scientific instruments, including the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) built by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram and all integration by ISRO Satelllite Centre, Bangalore. Tracking fron the Spacecraft Control Centre (SCC), at the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bangalore,
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, former President of India whose idea it was to plant the Indian flag on the moon, was seen punching his fist in happiness.”India has the flag on Mount Everest and now it is on the moon, he said. I congratulate ISRO on this remarkable achievement,” he said.
The MIP- Moon Impact Probe weighing 29 kg was riding piggyback on the top deck of the main orbitter and was released at a predetermined time after the orbiter reached the final 100 km orbit and impacted at the designated location. The main objectives of this mission comprise design, development and demonstration of technologies required for impacting a probe at a desired location on the moon. Qualify technologies required for future soft landing missions and exploration of the moon from close range. The moon impact probe comprises three major payloads. They are the radar altimeter, video imaging system and mass spectrometer. The Radar Altimeter will measure the altitude of the moon impact probe above the lunar surface and qualify technologies for future landing missions. The video-imaging system which comprises of an analog CCD camera along with a video decoder will acquire images of the surface of the moon from the descending probe. The Mass Spectrometer will measure the constituents of tenuous lunar atmosphere during descent.
QUOTES FROM SCIENTISTS
Photos courtesy ISRO
NOTE The picture on the right is one of the first space rocket program of India at Thumba in 1950-1960. India has come a long long way since then!!!

CONGRATS INDIA and ALL SCIENTISTS and SUPPORT PERSONNEL

CONGRATS Dr RENU KHATOR Chancellor and President University Houston Texas system

desivoxpopulis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:41:22 +0000

DR RENU KHATOR Chancellor.President Univ Houston Syetem
Dr. Renu Khator has been unanimously appointed president of the University of Houston and chancellor of the UH System by the UH System Board of Regents.
Khator, who has been serving as provost and senior vice president at the University of South Florida, is expected to take office in January 2008.
“It will be my job to build the four universities of the UH System into a model metropolitan institution of higher education for the 21st century, one that provides access and excellence with equal ease,” Khator told a ballroom filled with well wishers. “There is already so much to be proud of, and I look forward to helping UH becoming the state’s next flagship research university.”
Renu Khator was named sole finalist for the position last month, with the board selecting her from a slate provided by a search advisory committee made up of faculty, staff and community members.
“It was clear that Dr. Khator is the right person at the right time for the University of Houston and the UH System,” said Board Chairman Welcome Wilson. “Her keen intellect, strategic sensibilities, political savvy and well-developed interpersonal skills convinced us that she was the individual we need to lead us at this crucial time in our institutional life.”
A devoted teacher, seasoned educational administrator and respected scholar, Khator has a doctorate and master’s degree in political science from Purdue University and earned her bachelor’s degree from Kanpur University in India. Khator, 52, has served as provost at USF since 2003, and was dean of the College of Arts & Sciences for three years prior to that. From 1997 to 2000, she served as the director of USF’s Environmental Science and Policy Department. She has served as professor of government & international affairs at the university since 1995. She is the author or editor of five scholarly books and numerous articles concerning global public administration, environmental policy and South Asian politics.
A native of India, she came to the United States in 1974 after her marriage to Suresh Khator. Both pursued graduate degrees at Purdue University and later accepted teaching positions at USF. He is a professor of Industrial & Management Systems Engineering and director of computing for the College of Engineering at USF. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and serves as faculty athletic representative to the NCAA. They have two daughters, both ophthalmologists.
She becomes the third person to hold the dual title of UH System chancellor and UH president. She follows Arthur Smith, who retired in 2003, and Jay Gogue, who became president of Auburn University, his alma mater, this summer.
She enjoys writing poetry and short stories, several of which have been published. In addition to her duties as provost, she has been teaching a course in Hindi at USF this year. The Khators were honored by India this year, receiving the Jewel of India, a special award recognizing non-resident Indians for making outstanding contributions in their field. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services included Renu Khator among its 2006 Outstanding American by Choice awardees. The award recognizes outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens. Also in 2006, Khator received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Purdue University’s College of Liberal Arts and the Outstanding Educator Award from the American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture for enhancing Hellenic studies.
The University of Houston System is the state’s only metropolitan higher education system, encompassing four universities and two multi-institution teaching centers. The universities are the University of Houston, a nationally recognized doctoral degree-granting, comprehensive research university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university beginning limited expansion into graduate programs; and the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria, both upper division and master’s-level institutions. The centers are the UH System at Sugar Land in Fort Bend and the UH System at Cinco Ranch. In addition, the UH System includes KUHF-FM, Houston’s National Public Radio and classical radio station, and KUHT-TV

OCT 19-25 US Presidential Elections

desivoxpopulis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:15:23 +0000

Oct 29 POLLS?? WHAT POLLS
My Prediction 355 to 157 ECV
OBAMA IS WINNING EVERYWHERE . (period).
Everywhere you turn, there seems to be more and more Polls being taken.

Kinda Desperate if you ask me….especially by all the commercial media folks hoping to keep upo the flagging interest in Media punditry and “analysts” who predictoutcomes.
Most of them have been way off base for past two elections , including the Senate and US Congress outcomes in past few cycles. But looks like the Media Gurus are banking on poor and short term memories of the public and Joe and Jane Does of the World.
WATCH OUT, Indications are that this time Youth Vote is greater than ever and also seems that more Minorities- Read LATINO/CHICANO, ASIAN and even Foreign Origin EUROS and AFRO AMERICANS ARE GETTIBNG OUT THE VIOTE AND GETTING OUT TO VOTE.
NOTE The reason for this CATCH ALL Group is simple- THEY ALL READ MEDIA OTHER HAN in US. And with Prez Bush and VP Dick Cheney successfully leading US Image down the drain around the world, it may not be enough that media outlets like FOX NEWS and others has succeeded in dumbing down the US Elections and the US Presidential race.
Unless some major change occurs in next 5 days, Obama will have overcome the “….OBAMA…BUT” Factor and Coast through the elections as will the DEMOS in about 356-157 ELECTORAL VOTES. ( Remember 270 only needed to occupy the White House!)

US Presidential Elections

CONGRATS SACHN TENDULKAR- The Great Master Cricketer

desivoxpopulis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:07:06 +0000

CONGRATS SACHN TENDULKAR- The Great Master Cricketer
Sachin Tendulkar crossed the threshold of highest runs scored in a Test Cricket career by amassing over 12,000 runs!
The Master Blaster is well known to the Cricketing World and his on the field and off the field behaviour has lent him to be a role model to fans all over the world.
Sachin from Bandra, Mumbai was a phenom right from his young days and has alsways been a great ambassador for the sport and India
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan recently- one of the highest Civilian honor of India
Another Cricket Great SOURAV GANGULY also hit form recently and completed 7,000 aggregate Runs in Test Cricket
CONGRATS TEAM INDIA CRICKET

CONGRATS JWALA GUTTA- WINS TWO GRAND PRIX TiTles is Badminton.

desivoxpopulis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:04:51 +0000

CONGRATS JWALA GUTTA- WINS TWO GRAND PRIX TiTles is Badminton.
JWALA GUTTA clinched Women’s Doubles ( w/ SHRUTI KURIEN) and Mixed Doubles title ( with V.DIJU) at the Bulgarian Grand Prix badminton tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria On Oct 12th.
MIXED DOUBLES JWALA first combined with V DIJU to win the Mixed Doubles .
This is their consecutive Grand Prix title, defeating fifth seeded Indonesian pair of Fran Kurniawan and Shendy Puspa Irawati to clinch the mixed double’s title. The Indian duo overcame initial hiccups and rallied from behind to pip the Indonesian pair 15-21 21-18 21-19 in a 45-minute gruelling contest.
Earlier in October the duo had won the Bitburger Grand Prix (Germany) mixed doubles title in Saarbruecken, Germany last week. hey were ranked World number 55 due to this win. It is expected that the latest win will taken them higher, possibly breaking single digits!.

WOMENS DOUBLES: 25-year-old Jwala also paired up with her Womens doubles partner SHRUTI KURIEN to beat 2nd seeded Indonesian duo of Irawati and Meiliana Jauhari in straight-games and win the title, making it two for of the day for Jwala.
The Womens duo are ranked World number 26 and have won the India National Badminton Doubles Champions seven times.
Jwala and Shruti beat Irawati-Jauhari 21-11 21-19 in just 28 minutes.
Jwala told media she was very happy and extended her regards to her coach S M Arif.”I am very excited, very happy and I want to thank my coach S M Arif for his constant support.”

JWALA & SHRUTi KURIEN (India)
CONGRATS JWALA (twice) and SHRUTI KURIEN and V. DIJU YOU MAKE ALL INDIANS PROUD.
HAPPY TO SEE JWALA AND SHRUTI ALONG WITH SAINA NEHWAL TO MAKE A FORMIDABLE TEAM OF YOOUNG INDIAN SPORTSWOMEN!!

ARAVIND ADIGA WINS MAn BOOKER PRIIZE FOR BOOK The white Tiger

desivoxpopulis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:00:05 +0000

ARAVIND ADIGA WINS MAn BOOKER PRIIZE FOR BOOK The white Tiger

Aravind Adiga has won this year’s Man Booker Prize with his debut novel The White Tiger. The award, which honors the best fiction written in English by an author from the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth
The 33-year-old Indian-born writer was also the youngest author on the shortlist for the £50,000 prize.Congrats are in order to the young author, a resident of Mumbai and who had a stint in the S as well.
Poverty i guess still sells, as ‘The White Tiger’, a tale of two India’s, tells the story of Balram, the son of a rickshaw puller in the heartlands, one of the “faceless” poor left behind by the country’s recent economic boom.
“I like books that have ideas in them and that move and entertain.and the book charts his journey from working in a teashop to entrepreneurial success. It’s a quest to break out of the circumstances you find yourself in – it’s a quest for freedom,” said Adiga, adding it was a kind of book he would like to read.He said the book was set in today’s India and “revolves around the great divide between those Indians who have made it and those who have not. At the heart of the book it is something existential. It’s a quest to break out of the circumstances you find yourself in – it’s a quest for freedom.”
In the words of Head judge Michael Portillo “In many ways it was the perfect book.”of the Man Booker prize, “My criteria were ‘Does it knock my socks off?’ and this one did … the others impressed me … this one knocked my socks off.” Mr Portillo said what set the book apart was its originality in showing “the dark side of India”.
Adiga is only the fourth person to win with their first book, after Arundhati Roy, Keri Hulme and DBC Pierre. At 33, he’s one of the youngest winners in the 40 years of the contest..
Adiga beat favorite Sebastian Barry, Amitav Ghosh, Steve Toltz, Linda Grant and Philip Hensher. According to industry experts, the win means he can expect an upturn in sales and added recognition. According to BBAC/Amazon.co.uk, the six books enjoyed average sales rises of 700% following the announcement of the shortlist last month.
Adiga dedicated the award to “the people of New Delhi” and said “Making it to the shortlist on a first novel is sort of like winning and anything beyond that is quite a bonus,” Adiga said. Adiga is a former correspondent for Time magazine and has written for the Independent, and the Sunday Times.\

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Indian Saint Sister Alphonsa 2008

desivoxpopulis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:58:21 +0000

Indian Saint Sister Alphonsa 2008
Sister Akphonsa was canonized by the Pope and declared a saint on October 12, 2008. Sister Alphonsa Muttathupadath (The Passion Flower)(1910-1946) of Kerala become the first Indian woman—and second Indian—to be canonized and declared a saint by Pope Bendict XVI at the Vatican in 2008.
This marks a proud and important day in India’s Christan heritage and history.

Sister Alphonsa, comes from a poor family in Kottayam district, was earlier beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1986 during his visit to Kerala. In March this year, the Pope decided to elevate her to sainthood after a decades-long procedure which included the Vatican’s confirmation of the miracles ascribed to her.
The nun belonged to the Congregation of the Poor Clares of the Third Order of St Francis. Over 3,000 delegates from Kerala’s Syro-Malabar church-India’s largest Catholic denomination tracing its origins to St. Thomas-attended the canonisation, makeing a proud day in India’s Christian heritage and history..
The only Indian canonized before was Saint Gonzalo Garcia, a Jesuit priest born in Vasai near Mumbai to an Indian mother and Portuguese father in 1556.

CONGRATS NEEL KASHKARI US Economy Bailout specialist

desivoxpopulis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:55:54 +0000

CONGRATS NEEL KASHKARI

Neel Kashkari appointed US Economy Bailout
specialist
Neel Kashkari an Indian-American of
Kashmiri descent is the Interim Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury for Financial Stability and Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury for International Economics and Development
    US Treasury Secretary
Henry Paulson picked from his former company Goldman Sachs, 35
year old Kashkari, who started as a senior advisor.
President
George W. Bush nominated him as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for
International Affairs.
and
approved by the US Senate on June 27, 2008.
   Kashkari’s position is
“interim”, pending Senate confirmation. and the short term job is
expected to lasr only till January 2009, when
the Bush administration comes to an end, due to term limits.
     Prior
to joining the Treasury Department,Kashkari was a Vice President at
Goldman, Sachs & Co. in San Francisco, in IT
Security Investment Banking practice, advising public and private
companies on mergers and acquisitions and financial transactions.

Earlier,Kashkari was a R&D Principal Investigator at TRW in Redondo
Beach, California where he developed technology for NASA space science
missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope.
    Raised in Stow, Ohio,
Kashkari graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Engineering. He also received
an M.B.A. in Finance from the Wharton School.
    Kashkari and his wife Minal maintain residences in
Maryland and California. Kashkari
is a 1991 graduate of Western Reserve Academy, a private college prep
boarding and day school.
OFFICIAL
PROFILE
http://www.ustreas.gov/organization/bios/kashkari-e.html

US India Civilian Nuclear Agreement update Sam Rao Blog archive Indian-American

desivoxpopulis — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:05:07 +0000

US SENATE APPROVES NUCLEAR DEAL WITH INDIA

The US Senate approved the US India Civilian Nuclear Agreement, ending a 34 year ban on US nuclear trade with India. The US Senate voted 86-13 and culminated a process started in 2005.
The US India Civilian Nuclear Agreement gives India access to US civilian nuclear technology and fuel with a reported $18 Billion in primary business alone.
India has agreed to inspections of its civilian, but not military, nuclear facilities.
After the Pokhran nuclear test by India in 1974, the US had imposed trade sanctions along with several countries, which India often referred to as “Nuclear Apartheid”.
India did not support the NPT Non Proliferation Treaty- citing that the “haves” were imposing a ban on other developing countries’ technologies and instead tried to promote CTBT the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, applicable to ALL Nuclear nations, which iitially was rejected by the already Nuclear countries
This final bill passed the US Senate in a bipartisan display of support just as earlier in the US House of Representatives that passed the agreement on Saturday,Sept 27th. The latest US Senate vote now means President Bush can sign it into law.

INDIA PM SINGH CONFIDENT OF US India NuclearDeal ARRIVES IN NEW YORK
NUKE VOTE SET FOR WEDNESDAY OCT 1
US Congress gets to vote on the US India nuclear Deal. All this in the shadow of the severe finaicial crisis that US faces. Maybe the $18 Billion business opportunity – just primary business alone- will be hard to pass by.. Stay tuned

Sat Sept 26
US Congress Ratifies US India Nuclear Agtrement and send it to President Bush and US Senate
The vote in the US House of Representatives was 298 ti 117 on Saturday
This was 8 MORE than absolute majority needed
120 Democrats vite FOR as did 178 Republicans and
107 Democrats voted against and 10 Republicans went against their party directive
Congressman Howard Berman D introduced the bill and Congress member Ms Ros Lehitinen R seconded it

Latest: Tue Sep 23rd
US India Nuclear Deal Ratified by the US Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 19-2 Senator Russell Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat and Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, voted against the deal.
Latest:US India Nuclear Deal Ratified by the US Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 19-2 Senator Russell Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat and Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, voted against the deal.
“I am hopeful that the nuclear deal will happen during my visit to the US.”

The Prime Minister of India ManMohan Singh arrived in New Yorik Tuesday Sept 23rd for a 5 day visit which has enormous significance for US, India and the World.

NSG Approves Nuclear Deal for India
The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)approved an US proposal to end nuclear trade sanctions against India. The proposal only needs to be ratified by the US Congress to be implemented.
India as a stable democracy and an icon to many of the World has pledged to keep a moratorium in atom bomb tests and nuclear non-proliferation commitments
This opens up the plans for addressing Indias enormous need for energy domestically.

Update on US India relations PM ManMohan Singh Visits, Defense Minister AK Antony Visits Condi Rice

desivoxpopulis — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:02:24 +0000

INDIA PM SINGH CONFIDENT OF US India Nuclear Deal ARRIVES IN NEW YORK
Latest:US India Nuclear Deal Ratified by the US Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 19-2 Senator Russell Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat and Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, voted against the deal.

“I am hopeful that the nuclear deal will happen during my visit to the US.”

The Prime Minister of India ManMohan Singh arrived in New Yorik Tuesday Sept 23rd for a 5 day visit which has enormous significance for US, India and the World.

The Prime Minister will be addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) after a gap of two years, is scheduled to meet US President George W Bush on Sept 25th at 5:10 pm at the White House. After the meeting there would be a ‘working dinner’ between the two leaders from 6 to 7 pm in the Old Family Dining Room

He will also meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and belagured British PM Gordon Brown for talks on bilateral, regional and international issues. PM Manmohan Singh, a renowned Economist will also hold talks with the President of the World Bank Robert Zoellick.

Also scheduled is a meeting on Sept 24th with new Pakistani Premier Ali Zardari, whose conversations with US and rest of UN will be interesting to say the least, with Pakistani forces shooting at US troops and reportedly shooting down an US Unmanned drone.

The 62nd session of UNGA us the first for India after securing the 45 nation NSG waiver and the latest the ratification by the US Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 19-2 Senator Russell Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat and Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, voted against the deal.

Accompanying PM Singh are Deputy Chairman Planning Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon and Special Envoy Shyam Saram. National Security Advisor M K Narayanan will be joining the prime minister directly in New York. Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram is also expected to attend some meetings with the prime minister while there.

NOTE During his visit to the UN, PM Singh will meet Republican presidential candidate John McCain] as well as ‘converse’ with Barrack Obama if not actually meet him.

India Defense Minister A K ANTONY Visits USA- Pentagon & State dept

AK Antony with Condeleeza Rice

In a sign of increased cooperation and better relations between India and the US, a high powered delegation featuring India’s Defence Secretary A K ANTONY was received at in the US, at the Pentagon. and the State Department
US Secretary of Defense ROBERT GATES received Mr Antony followed by a reception by US Secretary of State Ms CONDOLEEZA RICE and this preceeds a visit to the US in November by India’s Prime Minister ManMohan Singh- when it is anticipated that the Bush administration will succeed in getting the US India Civilian Nuclear Agreement ratified by US Congress

(Photos Courtesy Press Corp -Embassy of India),