Men find women's bodies more attractive in winter

Sci. & Tech.

Men find women's bodies more attractive in winter

London (PTI): The fair sex might find it hard to believe but a new study has claimed that women's bare flesh in winter is a bigger turn-on for men.

A team at Wroclaw University in Poland has carried out the study and found that men actually find women's bodies more attractive in the winter -- a revelation they claim might have an impact on mate choice and on levels of adultery.

According to researchers, though there is no clear explanation for the seasonal variation, one theory can be that fewer female bodies are on display in winter and so the rarity makes them more attractive, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

In fact, they came to the conclusion after carrying out an experiment on 114 men who were asked to rate photos of women at different times of the year. The participants were shown snaps every three months over a period of five seasons.

Three kinds of photographs were shown to the subjects -- full body portraits of women in black swimsuits, exposed breasts of different sizes, and faces of young women.

Results revealed that bodies and breasts were rated most attractive in autumn and winter, and least attractive in summer. But there's no seasonal variation in ratings for faces, which the team members believe may be because women's faces are on view all year round.

 

Supreme Court directives that say that wherever possible the employees should be taken on regular rolls

A warning for managements: Minister

Special Correspondent

“The incident reflects the simmering discontent among workers”

 
Oscar Fernandes

NEW DELHI: Describing the killing of L.K. Chaudhury, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of an Italy-based company Graziano Transmissioni in Greater Noida as a fallout of the “simmering discontent among the workers,” the government on Tuesday said, this should serve as a warning for managements.

“It is my appeal to the managements that the workers should be dealt with compassion,” Minister of Labour and Employment (Independent charge) Oscar Fernendes told journalists here.

There are disparities in the wages of permanent employees, contract and temporary workers. The workers should not be pushed so hard that they resort to whatever that had happened in Greater Noida, he said.

Mr. Fernandes, who is likely to visit the site on Wednesday where he will talk to the management and the dismissed workers, said it was a fact that the number of organised workers was decreasing.

“We are going to discuss the matter of hire and fire policy in the next Indian Labour Congress. The practice is being followed in the public sector undertakings (PSUs) also. First we deal with the PSU and later with the private sector,” he said.

According to the Minister, there are several Supreme Court directives that say that wherever possible the employees should be taken on regular rolls instead of contract or temporary basis. But the managements have been ignoring it and anyone demanding this, is relieved within 30 days.

The Minister explained that the workforce was unable to express its simmering discontent over the management policies for the fear of losing jobs, leading to strained ties between them and the management.

The company had dismissed a large number of workers two months ago. The CEO was reportedly beaten to death by a group of dismissed employees inside the premises after a compromise meeting called failed.

Industry criticism

PTI reports:

The Minister’s comments came under sharp attack from the industry. FICCI president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the Minister’s comments were shocking while Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani said whatever be the circumstances, murder could not be condoned.

 

New airport screening 'could read minds'

London, September 24: Technology that aims to detect devices like guns or explosives at airports could soon be a passe, for scientists are to unveil a new type of screening gadgetry that can read minds.

A team is testing a type of body scanner that uses a technology capable of detecting ‘hostile intent’ -- in fact, it can seek out invisible clues that one might be harbouring criminal intent, such as raised body temperature, pulse and even breathing rate.

According to the scientists, the system 'MALINTENT' uses a raft of ‘non-invasive’ sensors and imagers to detect and evaluate a person's facial expression to gauge whether he could be planning to commit an attack or crime.

And, if the sensors pick up anything considered alarming, analysts can decide whether to subject a person to questioning.

The technology, developed by the Human Factors Division of US Homeland Security's Directorate for Science and Technology, would be used at border checkpoints, airports and special events that require security screening, The Daily Telegraph reported.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the technology, dubbed Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST, deploys a range of ‘innovative physiological and behavioural technologies’ to pick up ‘indications of malintent or the intent or desire to cause harm’.

But, Spokesman John Verrico said: "We're still very early on in this research, but it is looking very promising. We are running at about 78 per cent accuracy on malintent detection and 80 per cent on deception."

 

Day after staff kill CEO, Labour Minister tells India Inc: You have been warned

Manoj C G & Alka Pande

New Delhi | Lucknow, September 23The day the family cremated Lalit Kumar Choudhary, the CEO of the Greater Noida-based firm who was lynched by workers yesterday, while industry groups reacted with a chorus of outrage, Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes said his murder should serve as a “warning” to corporates.

Blaming what he called hire-and-fire policies of companies for “simmering discontent” among workers, Fernandes asked “managements to deal with them with compassion”.

“People are employed on contract basis. There is disparity in wages of permanent workers and contract workers. There is simmering discontent among workers and they should not be driven to such an extent as happened in Greater Noida...Managements have to see this as a warning and they should also respond adequately,” Fernandes said.

He said that companies tend to hire people on contracts even when they are in a position to make permanent appointments, leading to fewer jobs in the organised sector. “Workers react violently when they lose their jobs,” the Minister said, adding, “At the same time, managements have their problems also. But what I am saying is that the whole issue should be viewed with compassion. I appeal to companies to treat workers’ problems with compassion.”

Fernandes has called for a review of the industrial disputes resolution system, so that emphasis is put on bipartite consultations, building of trust through information sharing, and the promotion of voluntary arbitration over adjudication.

Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) CEO Pankaj Agarwal said the death of Graziano Transmissioni CEO Choudhary was “not merely a law and order problem”. And that the incident “is concerned with the whole industrial environment of the state. We are seriously looking into why this kind of situation cropped up, besides reviewing policies to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.” He added that it was “unfortunate that an international company CEO had to sacrifice his life to awaken the Government to introspect (on) the industrial situation”.

The web site of the GNIDA says there is “round-the-clock patrolling by mobile police vans for law and order maintenance” in Greater Noida. Yet, Graziano has said police took hours to arrive on the scene, and Choudhary might have been saved if only they had reached sooner.

While the company spokesperson said that in January, the workers had registered with AITUC, the CPI’s trade union wing, general secretary CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta told The Indian Express that there was no such affiliation.

Outraged industry organizations said the lynching damages India’s image among global investors. “It is definitely a deterrent to industrial growth. The atmosphere should be safe and sound for industry,” Amitabh Nangia, Chairman, CII Western U P zonal council, said. Diljeet Titus, chairman of the Northern region committee of the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “Labour unrest takes place everywhere but it is unfortunate that in this particular incident, things went out of hand.”

The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce said the incident set a bad precedent for Uttar Pradesh, which needs investment and job opportunities. Assocham president Sajjan Jindal said, “The UP administration needs to take stringent action against those who have committed the gruesome act to restore confidence of investors in the state. Late on Tuesday evening, Chief Minister Mayawati announced an inquiry into the incident by the DIG, Meerut range. She said the incident was “unfortunate”, and her government was committed to the security of industry and entrepreneurs.

The Italian embassy expressed concern and hoped that the judicial system would prosecute the perpetrators. “The situation had been repeatedly brought to the attention of the competent Indian authorities both at Central and local level,” the Italian Embassy said in a statement today. “The incident is all the more worrying as Graziano Transmissioni, after many successful years, had been facing several months of violent forms of protests by self-proclaimed workers representatives”, it said.

Italy warned, no one heard

The Italian ambassador wrote to the UP government two months ago, seeking enhanced security at the factory until the labour dispute had been resolved. If the agitators harmed company staff, Italy might pull out all investment from U P, he warned. “The matter was discussed even by the U P Chief Secretary,” L K Gupta, spokesperson for the company, said. SP (Rural) Babu Ram confirmed the local police had received communication of the envoy’s concerns. “We sent a report on the law and order situation to Lucknow,” he said.

 

Day after CEO’s death, company is firm: it’s ‘partial lockout’

PRINT EMAIL FEEDBACK DISCUSS

Rate Article          
Rating:   : 2 based on 2 vote

Pragya KaushikaPosted: Sep 24, 2008 at 0009 hrs IST

Greater Noida, September 23 The dispute between the management and labourers, which left Graziano Transmissioni (India) CEO L K Choudhury dead on Monday, began in the last week of November 2007, company officials said.

A company statement issued today stated that it was enforcing a partial lockout against the striking workers.

The police claimed a “small dispute” between the management and one of the employee representatives snowballed into a major crisis as workers thought the employee was being attacked.

Company officials said that some 350 disgruntled employees staged the first sit-in strike last November. They were protesting dismissal of some fellow labourers.

That was the first time the factory in Greater Noida was locked out, “partially, for a few days,” Graziano India’s personnel manager L K Gupta said. “But we struck a settlement with them (labourers) within three days.”

This January, Gupta said, the workers joined All India Trade Union Congress(AITUC) and sent a list of demands, Gupta said: “The union demanded a salary hike of Rs 7,000 per month. This meant a huge financial burden on the company.”

Gupta said the management and the workers finally settled on a monthly hike of Rs 3,000 on a three-year contract, “with conditions attached.” He said, “We asked them that they would not create any nuisance and would abide by the company’s law and decision.” But the union, Gupta said, later refused to abide by the agreement.

Meanwhile, the labourers disputed company officials’ claim that Monday’s attack was a planned one. “No one (in the management, or among officials) was ready to hear our case, not even the Labour Commission,” Rajendra Singh, one of the labourers who were injured in yesterday’s clash, said.

According to Singh, yesterday (September 22) was the last day of submitting the request letter to reinstate dismissed workers. “We went inside but the security guards misbehaved with us,” he said.

This acted as the trigger, police officials said, for other workers to barge in.

Deputy Labour Commissioner B K Singh said the company recruited around 400 contract employees in January, and the workers soon started demanding permanent status. “In a meeting on September 16 the management agreed to reinstate all dismissed employees, barring 15 who were terminated for grave indiscipline and misconduct,” he said.

But the employees, B K Singh said, kept up their demand: reinstatement of all employees. At this point the company increased salary by Rs 2,000, with incentive of another Rs 1,000 per month, Singh said.

137 workers held for company CEO’s death

A Noida court today sent 63 employees to Dasna Jail on charges of murdering L K Choudhary. Another 74 have been sent to prison on charges of rioting, assault and unlawful assembly. “Initially we filed FIR against 19 workers and have sent 137 dismissed employees to the court. They have been sent to Dasna Jail on 14 days of judicial remand,” SP (Rural) Babu Ram, transferred later in the day, said.

SP (Rural) moved out

A day after the fatal fracas at Graziano Transmissioni, SP (Rural) Babu Ram was today transferred to Bulandshehr. SSP R K Chaturvedi said Monday’s incident was one of the reasons that led to the transfer. Bulandshehr’s Superintendent of Police Surendra Verma would take over from Ram, it was announced.

 

A day after, Oscar ‘sorry’ for Noida CEO death remarks

PRINT EMAIL FEEDBACK DISCUSS

Rate Article          
Rating:  

AgenciesPosted: Sep 24, 2008 at 1439 hrs IST

 

Oscar Fernandes said sorry for his controversial comments in the wake of killing of a CEO in Noida.

New Delhi, September 24: Under attack from the India Inc for his controversial comments in the wake of the killing of a CEO in Noida, Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes on Wednesday expressed his apologies.

"My profound apologies to everybody who feels hurt," he said when asked by reporters to comment on the criticism by the industry for terming the incident as a ‘warning’ to managements not to ‘push’ the employees ‘so hard’.

His remarks evoked sharp reaction from captains of industry with FICCI president Rajeev Chandrasekhar describing them as shocking and Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani saying whatever the circumstances murder cannot be condoned.

Seeking to end the controversy, Fernandes said he was sorry for his remarks.

"I would like to put an end to this chapter by saying I am sorry," he said.

Fernandes said Class Four employees were appointed on contract basis and many a times the contractors did not pay even minimum wages.

Claiming that his remarks were ‘misunderstood’, the Labour Minister said he was for the poor sections of the people and was raising their voice. "If I have no right to speak, I will never speak," he said.

Fernandes had said ‘simmering discontent’ among workers might be the reason behind the killing of Graziano CEO L K Chaudhury at his Greater Noida office.

He had also said there were disparities in the wages of permanent employees and contract workers and felt that workers should not be pushed so hard that they resort to whatever has happened in Noida.

 

Karnataka HC allows women to work in bars

PRINT EMAIL FEEDBACK DISCUSS

Rate Article          
Rating:  

AgenciesPosted: Sep 24, 2008 at 2050 hrs IST

Bangalore, September 24: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday allowed women to be employed as hostesses in bar and restaurants where liquor is served.

The court, while passing orders on a batch of petitions, held Rule 9 of the Excise Rules which prohibits employment of women as bars hostesses and Section 20 (2) of the Karnataka Excise Act as violative of the Constitution.

The petitioners C Ramesh and others had challenged these provisions.

Justice D V Shylendra Kumar, while rejecting the Government advocate's contention that since children and women needed to be protected in such places, ruled that ‘the Rule 9 of the said Act is ultra virus and unenforceable and Sub Section 2 of Section 20 of the Act is unconstitutional as it violates Article 14, 15, 16, 21 and 39 of the Constitution’.

The petitioner had submitted that he is running a bar and restaurant which is licensed by the authorities and it is his desire to provide employment to women as hostesses to provide better facilities to customers which are comparable to international standards.

Another petition filed by Roopa and others, who lost their jobs after the police closed down dance bars, had also challenged these provisions.

The city police had shut down dance bars invoking the provisions of the Excise Act.

Meanwhile, the Live Band Association has welcomed the decision of the High Court saying it would enable women to be employed in these bars.

There are about 5,000 Bar and Restaurants in Karnataka and if each employs five women, it translates into 25,000 jobs for women which is a huge employment opportunity, the Association said.

When the live bands closed down, about 1,200 women lost their jobs, he said.

 

Govt says Noida CEO death a warning, India Inc in shock

 

New Delhi, September 23: Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes has said that ‘simmering discontent among the workers’ is the main reason behind the death of L K Chaudhary, the CEO of an Italy-based company Graziano, in Greater Noida.

The Minister said at a press conference, "This should serve as a warning for the managements. It is my appeal to the managements that the workers should be dealt with compassion,"

INDIA INC IN SHOCK

An outraged India Inc condemned the killing of L K Chaudhury, stating such incidents will damage the country's image among global investors.

Chaudhury was beaten to death yesterday allegedly by dismissed employees inside the factory.

"Such a heinous act is bound to sully India's image among overseas investors and deserves utmost condemnation," industry body FICCI said.

Expressing concern over the law and order situation in Greater Noida, the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said trade unions should conduct themselves with maturity and responsibility.

"Labour unrest takes place everywhere but it is unfortunate that in this particular incident, things went out of hand," Chamber's Northern Region Chairman Diljeet Titus said.

He said unions should realise that companies are working in a liberalised environment and industrial peace is essential for economic development.

The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce said the incident sets a bad precedence for Uttar Pradesh as the state needs investments and job opportunities.

Echoing the sentiment, Assocham President Sajjan Jindal said the UP administration needs to take stringent action

against those who have committed the gruesome act to restore confidence of investors in the state.

"The killing has sent out wrong signals, consequences of which would have to be suffered by the state," he said.

The Confederation of Indian Industries said such instances of industrial violence cannot be a solution to any problem and ‘should not be tolerated.’

ITALY SHOCKED

Expressing shock over lynching of L K Chaudhury, Italy today said it had repeatedly apprised both Central and UP Government officials about violent protests there and hoped such incidents will not recur.

"The situation had been repeatedly brought to the attention of the competent Indian authorities, both at central and local level," the Italian Embassy said in a statement.

"The incident is all the more worrying as the Italian company Graziano Transmissioni, after many successful years, had been facing several months of violent forms of protests by self-proclaimed workers representatives", it said.

The Embassy expressed the confidence that the Indian judicial authorities will prosecute and punish the perpetrators of such crimes and ensure that such tragic events will not be repeated and industrial disputes will be resolved without violence

 

136 charged with murder of CEO in Noida

AgenciesPosted: Sep 23, 2008 at 1710 hrs IST

Relatives of the slain CEO of the Cerlikon-Graziano Transmissions ltd, CK Chaudhary.

Noida, September 23: Over 100 people have been arrested in connection with the violence by a group of retrenched employees in a factory in Noida in which the head of the company was bludgeoned to death.

One hundred thirty-six people were charged with rioting and murder in connection with the killing of the Indiahead of the Italy based company, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

L K Chaudhury, the CEO and Managing Director of Cerlikon-Graziano Transmissions India Pvt Ltd in Udyog Vihar of Greater Noida, was killed yesterday when the agitating workers turned violent and reportedly beat him up after a meeting called to resolve the dispute between them and the management failed.

The incident took place at about 12.30 pm when around 200 dismissed employees barged into the factory premises and allegedly hit Chaudhury on his head with a hammer from behind, Noida police sources said quoting eye-witnesses.

Over 30 people were injured as the agitated crowd ransacked the factory. Some vehicles and furniture were also damaged in the incident.

The workers were dismissed about two months back and were protesting since then.

Meanwhile, companies in the Greater Noida industrial area have increased the number of security guards following Monday's incident.

'WARNING FOR MANAGEMENT'

The Government termed "simmering discontent among the workers" as the main reason behind the death of CEO of an Italy based company Graziano, L K Chaudhury in Greater Noida.

"This should serve as a warning for the managements. It is my appeal to the managements that the workers should be dealt with compassion," Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes told reporter in New Delhi on Tuesday at a press conference.

He said, "There are disparities in the wages of permanent employees and contract workers. The workers should not be pushed so hard that they resort to whatever that had happened in Noida.

"It is a fact that the number of organised workers has been decreasing. It came down from seven per cent to six per cent. We are going to discuss the matter of hire and fire policy in the next Labour Congress. First we deal with PSU and later with private sector on the issue."

The workforce is "unable to express its simmering discontent over the management policies", leading to strained ties between them and the management, he said while expressing his condolences to members of the bereaved family. The Minister is expected to visit the incident site on Wednesday.

About two months back, workers of the company were dismissed. The CEO of the company was reportedly beaten to death by a group of dismissed employees inside the premises after a compromise meeting called failed.

 

N-deal with India to support 2.5 lakh jobs in US

AgenciesPosted: Sep 23, 2008 at 1737 hrs IST

Washington, September 23: America's premier trade body has projected that the Indo-US nuclear deal could revitalise the US nuclear industry and support 2.5 lakh high-tech jobs in the country, much higher than the estimate of the Bush Administration.

Lobbying lawmakers to approve the 123 Agreement before the close of the 110th Congress, the world's largest business federation, the US Chamber of Commerce, says that if American companies are allowed to compete in India, even modestly, it could support 2.5 lakh high-tech jobs.

"If US companies are allowed to compete, a modest share of that business could support 250,000 high-tech American jobs," R Bruce Josten Executive Vice President of the apex body representing more than three million businesses, said in a recent letter to the US Congressmen.

With India's 34-year nuclear isolation now history, the opportunity for US companies today is tremendous, with an expected 30,000 to 60,000 MW of new nuclear generating capacity by 2030, representing a potential USD 150 billion of new investment, Josten said.

He emphasised that Congressional nod was essential to compete with French and Russian nuclear firms who are already operating in the Indian market.

At the same time, William J Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, who testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last Friday had given a more modest figure of 3,000-5,000 new direct jobs and about 10,000-15,000 indirect jobs in the US if American firms won two bids for new nuclear plants in India.

Stating that the Indo-US civil nuclear deal enjoyed the support from the US nuclear industry, Burns had pointed out that New Delhi had indicated that it planned to import at least eight new 1,000-megawatt power reactors by 2012, and additional reactors in the years ahead.

"Preliminary private studies suggest that even just two of these reactor contracts for US firms would add 3-5 thousand new direct jobs and about 10-15 thousand indirect jobs in the United States," Burns had said.

Burns had also pointed out that by 2025, India will likely rank among the world's five-largest economies. "It's already among our fastest-growing export markets. It will soon be the world's most populous nation."

He said the bilateral civil-nuclear initiative also advanced the common strategic vision.

Environmentally, the Initiative will help India's population to meet their rapidly rising energy needs.

India is growing at rates of 8 to 9 per cent per year, and to sustain those rates of growth, it must expand its supply of energy exponentially.

Between 1980 and 2001, India's demand increased by a staggering 208 per cent, Burns said.

By contrast, China, so often described as the world's next big energy consumer, saw just a 130 per cent increase -- about half of India's -- over the same period, he pointed out.

India will soon outstrip Japan and Europe as an Oil importer, he predicted.

The senior Bush Administration official also drew the attention of the lawmakers that India planned to double its capacity to generate electricity in the next seven years.

However, India relied primarily on domestically-produced coal whose ash content was double that of American coal and emitted far more nitrogen oxide, an element in smog, and carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas.

"This means that India will be one of the world's largest-producers of greenhouse gas emissions. And so its decision to rely, in part, on clean and efficient nuclear energy positively affects our own environmental future, not just India's," Burns had said.

 

Fridge that can run without power?

Fridge that can run without power?

London: Scientists at the Oxford University are working on a 1930 invention by Albert Einstein to develop an environmentally friendly refrigerator which they claim will run without electricity.

Previous researches have suggested that modern fridges emit greenhouse gases called freons and as a result damage the environment. Now the Oxford team is developing appliances that can work without electricity and thereby reduce the gases. In fact, they have already completed a prototype of a type of fridge patented in 1930 by Einstein and his colleague, the Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, The Observer reported.

The design was partly used in the first domestic refrigerators before more efficient compressors became popular in the 1950s. It avoids the need for freons and instead uses ammonia, butane and water and takes advantage of the fact that liquids boil at lower temperatures when air pressure is lower. “If you go to the top of Mount Everest, water boils at a much lower temperature than it does when you’re at sea level and that’s because the pressure is much lower up there,” lead scientist Malcolm McCulloch said. At one side is the evaporator, a flask that contains butane. “If you introduce a new vapour above the butane, the liquid boiling temperature decreases and, as it boils off, it takes energy from the surroundings to do so. That’s what makes it cold,” he said.

Pressurised gas fridges based around Einstein’s design were replaced by freon-compressor fridges partly as they were not very efficient. But, according to the British scientists, by tweaking the design and replacing the types of gases used it would be possible to quadruple the efficiency of the refrigerators . — PTI

 

Only 45 farmers accept West Bengal government's Singur package

Only 45 farmers accept West Bengal government's Singur package

Singur (WB), Sept 22 (PTI) The West Bengal government today extended by two days the offer of 10 per cent enhanced rehabilitation package for the over 2,000 farmers, who were unwilling to part with their land for Tata Motors' Nano car project, with only 45 accepting the earlier offer till date.
Hooghly District Magistrate Neelam Meena said that the government has extended the last date for accepting the new package by farmers by two more days.

District officials said only 45 cheques have been issued to farmers while there were over 2,000 who have not as yet accepted the new package.

The West Bengal government had on September 14 advertised the fresh economic package in newspapers, offering 50 per cent additional compensation to those who had willingly given their land or were unwilling to do so.

Besides, those affected would be eligible to 300 days wages at National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) rate, subject to verification of residence status.

A day later, addressing a mammoth 'pro-Nano' rally organised by the Left Front at Singur, its chairman Biman Bose said all those who had not taken compensation would be entitled to an additional 10 per cent more, if they took their cheques within September 22. PTI