Piracy costs CD, DVD makers Rs.5 Billion annually

• Increasing sales of pirated CDs, DVDs and other software has led to manufacturers in the national capital losing around Rs.5 billion annually.
• According to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), pirated sales of these products is also leading to an annual revenue collection loss of about Rs.1.5 billion (Rs.150 crore) for the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
• It estimated that the Indian entertainment industry loses over Rs.160 billion (Rs.16,000 crore) annually because of counterfeiting and piracy.
• The chamber said piracy could hurt the revenue generation of original manufacturers in Delhi and its neighbouring region to the extent of over Rs.15 billion in the next five-seven years as the purchasers of pirated products, between in the age group of 18-25 years, was growing at a significant pace.

So people what do u think, will u stop downloading movies from the net or will u stop renting pirated movies ? I think most of us will continue with the piracy business as it is profitable for us and more convenient but then this practice is illegal. But do we even care about that ? What is a practical solution to this problem, does anyone have even a slightest clue???

One job lost in every 10 seconds in the world

• In December, companies across diverse sectors have announced at least 115,000 job-cuts, a figure which translates into an average of more than 8,200 people being laid off a day or about six every one minute.

• More than 30,000 jobs were lost in the first week of December itself. But in the following seven days, the number nearly trebled to touch about 85,000, with the U.S. being accountable for more than one-third of the layoffs. The country has already seen a shocking 5,33,000 job losses in November alone.

• some of the major companies who have been laying off people too much:

1. Bank of America-plans to axe 35,000 jobs in the coming months
2. Sony -16,000 layoffs
3. Rio Tinto- all set to trim its headcount by 14,000.
   

I think lesser jobs will mean lesser incomes leading to lesser expenditures leading to lesser market demand, resulting in widening losses and yet widening crises. This was on a macro scale, on micro scale...a good management is always characterized by long sighted vision for future....the crises was born because management of various such affected organizations went on to make quick money and indulged themselves in the subprime fraud and now later repenting...these job cuts are short cut quick recovery trick with long & wide negative impact on themselves. But these company heads are also not that stupid that they will not think about long term effect but I wonder what could it be that they are planning to curb this problem???

Read the story: Ant & Grasshopper

An Old Story:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the
summer away.

Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or
shelter so he dies out in the cold.

Indian Version:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the
summer away.

Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and
demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed
while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper
next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled
with food.

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor
Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.

Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other rasshoppers demanding that
Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .

Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for
not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the
Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt
support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).

Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' in
West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard
in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and
Grasshoppers.

Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway
Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism
Against Grasshop

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism
Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the
winter.

Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational
Institutions & in Government Services.

The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left
to pay his retroactive taxes,it's home is confiscated by the Government
and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.

Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.

Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.

CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '

Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

Many years later...

The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar
company in Silicon Valley,

100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere
in India,

.AND

As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the
grasshoppers, .
.
. India is still a developing country…!!!

Attack on Kasab's lawyer's house

Two days after lawyer K B N Lam moved an application in a session's court expressing his willingness to defend arrested Pakistani terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Kasab in a court, two unidentified men vandalized his Breach Candy home on Wednesday morning. It is the third time an advocate willing to represent Kasab was targeted.

Asked why the lawyer was not given protection, ACP Patil said, "We didn't know where he lived. But now we will give him adequate protection.''

"We don't suspect the role of a political party,'' said a senior police officer explaining that party members usually come in hordes. "We are probing the matter and based on the version of two servants at the house, we are getting sketches of the two attackers made,'' he said, adding that a case of trespass and mischief has been registered.

These are the lawyers who have volunteered to appear for Kasab in court:

- P Janardhanan: A former associate advocate-general of Maharashtra, Janardhanan was one of the lawyers in the Ramesh Kini murder case

- KBN Lam: Has been a barrister at London's famous Lincoln's Inn and currently teaches law at Government Law College and K C Law College

WITHDRAWAL

A couple of lawyers initially expressed willingness to fight for Kasab but later withdrew in the face of protests

- Ashok Sarogi: Shiv Sena activists protested outside Sarogi's home and he had to give in writing that he would not appear for Kasab; he said he had only stated that Kasab had the right to be represented by a lawyer. Sarogi has represented gangster Abu Salem earlier

- Mahesh Deshmukh: Offered to be Kasab's lawyer but subsequently withdrew