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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who make it to the age of 100 may indeed have some "good genes" that they pass on their children, according to a new study.
The study, of more than 600 older U.S. adults, found that the children of centenarians tended to live longer and were substantially less likely to develop diabetes or suffer a heart attack or stroke over four years.
The results suggest that children of centenarians tend to retain a "cardiovascular advantage" over their peers as they age, note Emily R. Adams and colleagues at Boston University and Boston Medical Center.
"These findings reinforce the notion that there may be physiological reasons that longevity runs in families and that centenarian offspring are more likely to age in better cardiovascular health and with a lower mortality than their peers," the researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The study included 440 men and women who had at least one parent who`d survived to age 100 or beyond, and 192 adults whose parents had lived an average life expectancy. The average age in both groups was 72 at the start of the study.
Over the next four years, Adams and her colleagues found, children of centenarians were 81 percent less likely to die and significantly less likely to develop cardiovascular problems or diabetes.
Only 0.7 percent suffered a heart attack during the study period, compared with 3.5 percent of the comparison group. Similarly, 1 percent of the centenarian group had a stroke, versus 6 percent of their peers.
Meanwhile, diabetes was newly diagnosed in just over 5 percent of the comparison group, but only 0.8 percent of the centenarian group.
"The current findings suggest that centenarian offspring are following in their parent`s footsteps, avoiding some of the vascular morbidities afflicting their peers and, more importantly, being less likely to die over time," the researchers write.
They add that the results also stress the importance of good cardiovascular health in anyone`s chances of living an exceptionally long life.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, November 2008
...
In reply to:
Zinda Tilismath: A remedy for all ailments
Posted by :
sambala
Toddler`s brain repaired with `glue`
In a rarest of rare surgery, American doctors operating upon a 17-month-old girl used glue to seal tiny brain blood vessels that were threatening Ella-Grace Honeyman, 17 months, was born with vein of Galen malformation, which causes tiny holes in the brain`s main blood vessels and affects only a few hundred babies worldwide each year.
She was given months to live after blood seeped through the openings and flooded her skull cavity, causing a potentially fatal aneurysm. But in the latest in a series of high-risk operations, American surgeons have used the medical equivalent of superglue to stem the bleeding, reports Times Online.
With the help of local fundraisers, Ella-Grace`s parents paid more than £100,000 for pioneering treatment in the United States and France, as there is a lack of trained surgeons in Britain to perform the operation.
Although their daughter may need to have further surgery, she now has every chance of living a full and happy life, Laura and Ryan Honeyman, from Horsfold, Norfolk, have been told.
A team of surgeons inserted a remote-controlled tube containing an organic adhesive through her groin, past her stomach and heart, and finally into the base of her brain.
Once there, they injected the glue into the holes in an artery and faulty capillaries, allowing the fluid in her skull to drain and removing the aneurysm.
About five cases occur each year in Britain and only two hospitals - Great Ormond Street, London, and Glasgow - are equipped to deal with them. But the family were told that Ella-Grace`s chances of survival would be greater if they travelled, first to France, and then to the US, to see experts who had more experience in the surgery required.
"When we first learnt about Ella-Grace`s condition, we were devastated," Laura, 29, said.
"We were told she had a brain aneurysm that would kill her unless treated and we really thought we`d lose our baby girl. The operation was a success and worth every penny. She`s now doing what all kids her age should be doing - bouncing around, playing and having a good time."
Ella-Grace had been in obvious pain before doctors detected the aneurysm shortly before her first birthday, Laura said. Her first operation in France went well, but the surgeon died two days afterwards, and the family had to head to the US for more treatment.
Ella-Grace still needs a number of "top-up" operations to plug the remaining openings, and is due to travel back to New York next spring.
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Toddler`s brain repaired with `glue`
In a rarest of rare surgery, American doctors operating upon a 17-month-old girl used glue to seal tiny brain blood vessels that were threatening Ella-Grace Honeyman, 17 months, was born with vein of Galen malformation, which causes tiny holes in the brain`s main blood vessels and affects only a few hundred babies worldwide each year.
She was given months to live after blood seeped through the openings and flooded her skull cavity, causing a potentially fatal aneurysm. But in the latest in a series of high-risk operations, American surgeons have used the medical equivalent of superglue to stem the bleeding, reports Times Online.
With the help of local fundraisers, Ella-Grace`s parents paid more than £100,000 for pioneering treatment in the United States and France, as there is a lack of trained surgeons in Britain to perform the operation.
Although their daughter may need to have further surgery, she now has every chance of living a full and happy life, Laura and Ryan Honeyman, from Horsfold, Norfolk, have been told.
A team of surgeons inserted a remote-controlled tube containing an organic adhesive through her groin, past her stomach and heart, and finally into the base of her brain.
Once there, they injected the glue into the holes in an artery and faulty capillaries, allowing the fluid in her skull to drain and removing the aneurysm.
About five cases occur each year in Britain and only two hospitals - Great Ormond Street, London, and Glasgow - are equipped to deal with them. But the family were told that Ella-Grace`s chances of survival would be greater if they travelled, first to France, and then to the US, to see experts who had more experience in the surgery required.
"When we first learnt about Ella-Grace`s condition, we were devastated," Laura, 29, said.
"We were told she had a brain aneurysm that would kill her unless treated and we really thought we`d lose our baby girl. The operation was a success and worth every penny. She`s now doing what all kids her age should be doing - bouncing around, playing and having a good time."
Ella-Grace had been in obvious pain before doctors detected the aneurysm shortly before her first birthday, Laura said. Her first operation in France went well, but the surgeon died two days afterwards, and the family had to head to the US for more treatment.
Ella-Grace still needs a number of "top-up" operations to plug the remaining openings, and is due to travel back to New York next spring.
...
In reply to:
Zinda Tilismath: A remedy for all ailments
Posted by : sambala
`Brain death` panels on the cards
MUMBAI: In a bid to boost organ donation, the BMC will set up `brain death` committees at five peripheral hospitals in the city.
"The committees will have the power to declare a patient brain dead. The move will help in retrieval of vital organs-which function up to 72 hours after brain death-that can then be transplanted to patients suffering from organ failure,`` a BMC official said.
The committee comprising a neurologist, referring doctor, the medical superintendent of the hospital concerned and a specialist will be formed at Bhabha Hospital in Bandra, Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli, V N Desai Hospital in Andheri, Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi and Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.
Currently, these committees exist in major medical colleges and in recognised hospitals that carry out organ transplants. However, sources, claimed these committees exist only on paper.
Experts feel the presence of these committees will help increase the pool of organs in a donor-starved city. "We will get the five hospitals registered as revival centres from the state.. There is a need for at least four doctors to declare a patient brain dead. In cardiac deaths, only one doctor`s declaration is enough,`` said Dr Vatsala Trivedi, co-ordinator of Zonal Transplantation Co-Ordination Centre since its inception in 2001.
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`Brain death` panels on the cards
MUMBAI: In a bid to boost organ donation, the BMC will set up `brain death` committees at five peripheral hospitals in the city.
"The committees will have the power to declare a patient brain dead. The move will help in retrieval of vital organs-which function up to 72 hours after brain death-that can then be transplanted to patients suffering from organ failure,`` a BMC official said.
The committee comprising a neurologist, referring doctor, the medical superintendent of the hospital concerned and a specialist will be formed at Bhabha Hospital in Bandra, Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli, V N Desai Hospital in Andheri, Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi and Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.
Currently, these committees exist in major medical colleges and in recognised hospitals that carry out organ transplants. However, sources, claimed these committees exist only on paper.
Experts feel the presence of these committees will help increase the pool of organs in a donor-starved city. "We will get the five hospitals registered as revival centres from the state.. There is a need for at least four doctors to declare a patient brain dead. In cardiac deaths, only one doctor`s declaration is enough,`` said Dr Vatsala Trivedi, co-ordinator of Zonal Transplantation Co-Ordination Centre since its inception in 2001.
...
In reply to:
Zinda Tilismath: A remedy for all ailments
Posted by : MMB Messenger
“Har marz ki dawa: Zinda Tilismath”––that`s a common refrain one can hear from Hyderabadi oldtimers. It is a simple Unani formula that has become a household name with time.
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Obesity is a curse for women
Ladies, you may have to pay a higher price for obesity than men, for a study has revealed that being overweight is a curse on a woman’s life. Researchers in the US have carried out the study and found that overweight women are more likely to get sacked, be a victim of crime, be broke and more likely to be criminals, the ‘Preventive Medicine’ journal reported.
What’s shocking is that the study also found that the overweight women also suffer the most stress as compared to obese men. Lead researcher Nancy Petry said: “Stress can lead to obesity. But the opposite is also true with the seriously overweight suffering the most stress by contributing to poor health or social factors like workplace discrimination.”
The researchers at the University of Connecticut have based their findings on an analysis of health records of over 40,000 adults in America. The findings clearly showed that those who were obese experienced more “stressful life events”. And, obese women are more likely to face the death of a friend or relative, lose their jobs or made redundant or face financial troubles.
And, the workplace was where women experienced the highest level of stress. They felt more discriminated against than their overweight male colleagues.
However, obese men did suffer more than slim men, but the difference was much greater in women. But, on the up side, the study found that overweight women in relationships were less likely than slim women to break up...
In reply to:
This is the way to Brush your teeth, brush your teeth brush your teeth
Posted by : radhika_nandlal
Yes from today i have begun brushing my teeth with Himalaya Dental cream toothpaste.
Reading its contents is quite interesting...it has a mix of
1. Triphala (they say when in doubt about the dosha imbalance give triphala
2. It has Pomegranate also known as Dadima in Hindi
3. It has neem.
4. It has one bhasma (ash) that had me worried... if you read how ayurveda makes bhasmas you will get freaked out... gosh.. scary.. wonder what effect such ashes can have on our kidneys... but this bhasma is Vaikranta Bhasma.... fluorspar.. fluorine and lime combination.
Anyone here in the minerals dept or mining and know the qualities of fluorspar??/ Anyone??? Anyone from Himalaya Drugs??
After brushing my teeth with it there was some tingly and burning feeling on my gums.. i will give it a try for a couple of months and come back..
And of course other herbs like bishop weed and babool found in norhtindia form part of this tooth paste....lets see..i am my own guinea pig for my ayurvedic research.
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Bad News Can Be Better Than Nothing
No one likes bad news, but for some people, no news is worse. People who are mildly neurotic are stressed by uncertainty even more than by bad news, a new study finds.
Psychologists have long known that bad news grabs attention, making its recipients take notice, while good news often is given short shrift in the brain. Scientists have explained the phenomenon as a survival mechanism, a part of the brain’s wiring adapted to warn of dangers or threats.
But researchers at the University of Toronto wanted to learn more about how people respond to uncertainty — a lack of information or information that isn’t well understood. Forty-one young men and women took a test designed to assess how neurotic they were, then were fitted with electrode caps that measured brain activity as they completed certain tasks. As a way of monitoring stress, the investigators tracked neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain involved in conflict, uncertainty and monitoring errors.
The participants later were asked to respond when they thought a second had passed since a symbol had appeared on a computer monitor. After responding, they received feedback on the monitor in the form of a plus sign indicating a job well done, a minus sign indicating improvement was needed, or a question mark with no further explanation. The subjects who had scored higher on the neuroticism scale demonstrated more brain activity in response to uncertain feedback than to negative feedback, the researchers found.
In the real world, such a heightened response might occur when an employee is up for a promotion but does not know the outcome, said Jacob B. Hirsh, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Toronto and lead author of the paper. A highly neurotic individual would respond less intensely to losing the promotion, Mr. Hirsh said.
The opposite is true for people who are not neurotic, Mr. Hirsh added. They are not bothered by uncertainty but are very upset by negative feedback.
Richard Sorrentino, a psychologist at the University of Western Ontario who also studies uncertainty, said he had conducted a similar study looking at married women who were ambivalent toward their partners and not sure whether they could be trusted.
“If they were the type who preferred certainty, they were better off if they didn’t trust their husbands at all than if they were uncertain about whether to trust him,” he said. Wives who preferred certainty but who were uncertain about their husbands often suffered severe symptoms, he added, including depression.
“Basically the motto of the highly neurotic person is, ’Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t,’ ” Mr. Hirsch said.
...
In reply to:
Do you know if your blood pressure is high?
Posted by : sambala
London (IANS): Over 50 percent of people with high blood pressure might not be aware of their condition, a new study has found.
Franco Cappuccio of Warwick University Medical School led the team from Britain to participate in a European study examining awareness, treatment and control of high blood pressure, or hypertension, precursor of heart attacks and strokes.
The IMMIDIET study examined 1,604 people from south-west London, Limburg in Belgium and Abruzzo in Italy. All of them underwent a medical examination, including blood pressure (BP) check-up and answered a lifestyle and health questionnaire.
The researchers found 24 percent of participants had high BP and 56 percent of those were not aware of their condition. Of those that were aware, less than half had their high BP under control.
Looking at the differences between regions, researchers found the British participants had lower BP overall and better control than the Italians and Belgians, said a Warwick release.
"Our results show that high blood pressure is a looming problem for Europe. Although in the UK the management of high blood pressure is better as compared to some other countries, in part due to the incentives that GPs receive to achieve blood pressure targets,"said Cappuccio.
The research was published in the Journal of Hypertension.
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SCARY MOVIES
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expected the first few months of next year to bear more bad news for Europe`s largest economy, which is now in recession.
Merkel told Welt am Sonntag newspaper that economic development in Germany, Europe and the rest of the world was hard to predict but "we have to expect the coming year, at least in the first months, to be a year of bad news."
The Wall Street Journal said General Motors was considering "all options" because of its liquidity problems. A GM spokesman told the paper that management was doing everything it could to avoid a bankruptcy filing.
Chief Executive Rick Wagoner, along with bosses from Ford Motor Co, and Chrysler, went to Capitol Hill this week to plea for $25 billion to bail out the auto industry.
Citigroup executives, meanwhile, met Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury Department officials in recent days to discuss its options, which include another capital injection from the Treasury, a person familiar with the matter said.
The bank`s management has also discussed selling off units or finding another bank to merge with.
"It`s fear and panic at this point," said Gerard Cassidy, a banking analyst at RBC Capital Markets in Portland, Maine.
"Investors have seen similar movies this year, and the endings are very unpleasant."
...
In reply to:
Welcome to the world of Obamanomics.
Posted by : sambala
Obama sees long haul ahead, China offers help
NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama said on Saturday he was crafting a two-year plan to fight an economic crisis of "historic proportions" and Chinese leader Hu Jintao said his country was ready to play a big role in the global effort.
In another sober assessment, billionaire investor George Soros said the U.S. economy needed an additional $300 billion to $600 billion in support funds to help it withstand a financial crisis which he said "has exceeded my most daring expectations."
The corporate scenario also darkened, with U.S. automaker General Motors Corp considering "all options," including bankruptcy, because of its liquidity problems, according to the Wall Street Journal.
And banker Citigroup Inc was in talks with the U.S. government amid doubts about its ability to survive.
President George W. Bush, on the last overseas trip of his presidency, urged other leaders at a summit in Lima, Peru, not to let the global financial crisis push the world away from free trade.
Obama, who takes over from Bush on Jan. 20, said, "There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it`s likely to get worse before it gets better."
He was speaking in a radio address on Saturday, the day after reports that he had chosen the New York Federal Reserve president, Timothy Geithner, as Treasury secretary rallied stock markets.
Obama, a Democrat, said swift and bold action was needed to prevent a deep slump, a spiral of falling prices, and millions of job losses.
He signalled he was prepared to push for a much larger package than the $175 billion stimulus measure he called for in his election campaign. His plan would set a goal of creating 2.5 million more jobs by January 2011 -- a two-year scenario.
"The news this week has only reinforced the fact that we are facing an economic crisis of historic proportions," Obama said.
CHINA TO THE RESCUE?
In Lima, Chinese President Hu said the Asian powerhouse would work alongside the international community to strengthen cooperation and protect international markets.
China has been a major driver of the world economy as its rapid expansion fuelled demand for raw materials. But with so many troubled countries looking to China to ease their financial woes, Beijing has until now been wary of taking a leading role.
"China is within the scope of its abilities taking major efforts to address the financial crisis," Hu said in a speech to business leaders.
This included providing support for liquidity for domestic financial institutions and coordinating macroeconomic policy with other countries.
Hu and Bush are in Lima for a summit of leaders from Asia and the Americas within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, whose countries represent more than half of global output.
They are expected to ratify previous commitments by the Group of 20 powerful world economies to use trade and government spending to combat the economic crisis.
The leaders of Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Mexico and Russia and other countries join Hu and Bush at the summit.
Soros, one of the world`s first and best-known hedge fund managers, told Germany`s Der Spiegel magazine the United States needed an infrastructure program and a large economic stimulus package to provide its cities and states with sufficient cash.
The U.S. government has launched a $700 billion financial bailout initiative in response to the turmoil. But the U.S. economy needed additional support measures of between $300 billion and $600 billion, Soros said.
He criticized U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for having reacted too late to the crisis but said he had high hopes about Obama`s ability to manage the situation.
"The duration of the crisis depends on the success of his policies," Soros said, according to Der Spiegel.
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Obama sees long haul ahead, China offers help
NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama said on Saturday he was crafting a two-year plan to fight an economic crisis of "historic proportions" and Chinese leader Hu Jintao said his country was ready to play a big role in the global effort.
In another sober assessment, billionaire investor George Soros said the U.S. economy needed an additional $300 billion to $600 billion in support funds to help it withstand a financial crisis which he said "has exceeded my most daring expectations."
The corporate scenario also darkened, with U.S. automaker General Motors Corp considering "all options," including bankruptcy, because of its liquidity problems, according to the Wall Street Journal.
And banker Citigroup Inc was in talks with the U.S. government amid doubts about its ability to survive.
President George W. Bush, on the last overseas trip of his presidency, urged other leaders at a summit in Lima, Peru, not to let the global financial crisis push the world away from free trade.
Obama, who takes over from Bush on Jan. 20, said, "There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it`s likely to get worse before it gets better."
He was speaking in a radio address on Saturday, the day after reports that he had chosen the New York Federal Reserve president, Timothy Geithner, as Treasury secretary rallied stock markets.
Obama, a Democrat, said swift and bold action was needed to prevent a deep slump, a spiral of falling prices, and millions of job losses.
He signalled he was prepared to push for a much larger package than the $175 billion stimulus measure he called for in his election campaign. His plan would set a goal of creating 2.5 million more jobs by January 2011 -- a two-year scenario.
"The news this week has only reinforced the fact that we are facing an economic crisis of historic proportions," Obama said.
CHINA TO THE RESCUE?
In Lima, Chinese President Hu said the Asian powerhouse would work alongside the international community to strengthen cooperation and protect international markets.
China has been a major driver of the world economy as its rapid expansion fuelled demand for raw materials. But with so many troubled countries looking to China to ease their financial woes, Beijing has until now been wary of taking a leading role.
"China is within the scope of its abilities taking major efforts to address the financial crisis," Hu said in a speech to business leaders.
This included providing support for liquidity for domestic financial institutions and coordinating macroeconomic policy with other countries.
Hu and Bush are in Lima for a summit of leaders from Asia and the Americas within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, whose countries represent more than half of global output.
They are expected to ratify previous commitments by the Group of 20 powerful world economies to use trade and government spending to combat the economic crisis.
The leaders of Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Mexico and Russia and other countries join Hu and Bush at the summit.
Soros, one of the world`s first and best-known hedge fund managers, told Germany`s Der Spiegel magazine the United States needed an infrastructure program and a large economic stimulus package to provide its cities and states with sufficient cash.
The U.S. government has launched a $700 billion financial bailout initiative in response to the turmoil. But the U.S. economy needed additional support measures of between $300 billion and $600 billion, Soros said.
He criticized U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for having reacted too late to the crisis but said he had high hopes about Obama`s ability to manage the situation.
"The duration of the crisis depends on the success of his policies," Soros said, according to Der Spiegel.
...
In reply to:
Welcome to the world of Obamanomics.
Posted by : sambala
Obama economic plan aims for 2.5M new jobs by 2011
WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama promoted an economic plan Saturday he said would create 2.5 million jobs by rebuilding roads and bridges and modernizing schools while developing alternative energy sources and more efficient cars.
"These aren`t just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis. These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long," Obama said in the weekly Democratic radio address.
The goal is to get the plan quickly through Congress, with help from both parties, after Obama takes office Jan. 20. The plan, which envisions those new jobs by January 2011, is "big enough to meet the challenges we face," he said. The president-elect said he has asked his economic advisers to flesh out the recovery plan — one "big enough to meet the challenges we face. ... We`ll be working out the details in the weeks ahead, but it will be a two-year, nationwide effort to jump-start job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy."
Obama noted the growing evidence the country is "facing an economic crisis of historic proportions" and said he was pleased Congress passed an extension of unemployment benefits this past week. But, he added, `We must do more to put people back to work and get our economy moving again."
Nonetheless, he said, "There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it`s likely to get worse before it gets better."
It will take support from Democrats and Republicans to pass the economic plan, Obama said. "I`ll be welcome to ideas and suggestions from both sides of the aisle," he said. "But what is not negotiable is the need for immediate action."
People "are lying awake at night wondering if next week`s paycheck will cover next month`s bills," if their jobs will remain, if their retirement savings will disappear, he added.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said congressional Democrats will "continue pushing for aggressive but necessary measures. Part of that is passing a substantial economic recovery package, like the one President-elect Obama discussed this morning, that creates good-paying jobs here in America and stabilizes a volatile market."
In a slap at President George W. Bush, Reid added, "We will soon finally have a leader and partner in the White House who recognizes the urgency with which we must turn around our economy, and I look forward to working with him and the new Congress to do so."
The Labor Department reported that claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to the highest level since July 1992, providing fresh evidence of the weakening job market.
"We`ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels," Obama said. He also made a commitment to fuel-efficient cars and alternative energy technologies "that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead."
Obama pointed to the past, saying that Americans in this country`s darkest hours have risen above their divisions to solve their problems, as a hope for the future.
"We have acted boldly, bravely, and above all, together," Obama said. "That is the chance our new beginning now offers us, and that is the challenge we must rise to in the days to come. It is time to act. As the next president of the United States, I will."
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Her marz ki dawa Zinda Talismat and datton ka majan \"Majan-e-Farooqui....
In reply to:
Zinda Tilismath: A remedy for all ailments
Posted by : MMB Messenger
“Har marz ki dawa: Zinda Tilismath”––that`s a common refrain one can hear from Hyderabadi oldtimers. It is a simple Unani formula that has become a household name with time.
Tracked by: 0 Boarder
“Har marz ki dawa: Zinda Tilismath”––that`s a common refrain one can hear from Hyderabadi oldtimers. It is a simple Unani formula that has become a household name with time.
...
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Citigroup could replace Pandit as CEO: NYT
New York, Nov 22 (IANS) Vikram Pandit, the Indian-American CEO of Citigroup, could well be on his way out as the banking giant is looking at various options, including his sacking, to infuse confidence among its investors and tide over the worst-ever crisis it is facing, a media report here said Saturday.
Citigroup stock has plumbed more than 60 percent in a week, now trading below $4, which is 90 percent below its all time high. Top executives of the Citigroup Friday held a series of frantic meeting and talks with the federal government, discussing the possibilities of overcoming this crisis.
Among possible options being weighed by the Citigroup executives included whether to replace Pandit, 55, or sell part of the company, the New York Times reported.
No other mainstream US media outlet, however, reported that Pandit, who was hired by the company last year to enthuse confidence among the investors, could be fired.
Pandit himself held a series of meetings Friday, which went into Saturday, as the company further plunged into a deeper crisis.
The Wall Street Journal said Pandit told his employees on a conference call that he had `no desire` to sell the Smith Barney brokerage unit or other parts of the financial company.
He lashed out at `fear mongering` by investors, which he complained was partly fuelled by competitors, the Journal reported.
Meanwhile, media reports Saturday said the US government could step in to rescue the Citigroup.
The company top executives and board members Friday held a series of telephonic conversations with federal authorities including Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and New York Federal reserve Bank president Timothy Geithner, who is being widely speculated to be the next treasury secretary.
...
In reply to:
Job losses....
Posted by : sambala
Citi India may lay off over 1,000 employees: WSJ
Days after Citi`s global CEO Vikram Pandit revealed the group`s plans to reduce headcounts by 52,000, there are reports that the financial major will lay-off over 1,000 employees in India. The financial services company has around 10,000 employees in India.
The Wall Street Journal today reported that the majority job cuts in India will come from CitiFinancial India, the group’s non-banking finance company, where 1,000 employees will face the axe over the next few months.
It said that Citigroup will also cut dozens of additional positions from its investment and corporate banking team though the layoff plans are still being finalised.
When contacted, a Citi India spokesperson said: “We have said before that we`re expecting only minimal impact for India. We continue to hire for the business, especially on campuses where we remain very active."
There could be some cuts in Citi`s domestic workforce due to under performance, a senior bank executive said.
Citi has maintained that a large part of the domestic staff strength has already come down following the sale of its business process outsourcing arm, Citigroup Global Services to TCS about a month ago. The BPO outfit had around 12,000 employees.
Earlier this week, at the Business Standard Banking Round Table Citi South Asia CEO Sanjay Nayar had said that the group’s businesses in emerging markets, including India, are doing very well.
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`Queue up for calls, we are Air India`
Air India has put barriers on local calls for its staff in a desperate measure to cut costs, by insisting that most of its staff must go register with the exchange operator and not dial numbers themselves - even suspending the practice of dialing 9 to get a local dialtone. Given the credit crunch and slowdown mood in the economy, this could well be emulated by India Inc.
in coming days. By cutting the staff`s `lifeline`, the Maharaja intends to save Rs 25 crore a year - or a quarter of its communications costs.
Curbs have also been imposed on the use of stationery and printers, besides restrictions on clothing, electricity, mobile phone and petrol bill allowances for employees. All these are expected to save Rs 200 core a year, said senior officials of the airline famous for its Maharaja mascot, which is expected report losses running into more than Rs.
2,000 crore. The airline believes a lot of time and money is wasted on personal stuff.
"Now we have to give the number to the exchange who then connect the calls. There is no freedom and it is irritating to make a call.
We have to wait for a long time in a queue. Forget personal calls.
Official calls are suffering," said an employee asking not to be identified. Several other officials have confirmed this restriction.
Following an uproar by employees, the self-dialling facility has been restored only for some key departments like flights dispatch, sales and marketing. But more than 60 per cent of the airlines` 23,000 staff who are in non-operational areas are still under restriction.
The move comes days after the Air India management shelved its leave-without-pay scheme for employees due to political pressures after private rival Jet Airways suffered angry staff protests when it tried layoffs
...
In reply to:
Job losses....
Posted by : marketman
Many indians loosing the jobs during this economic crisis....
Pfizer replacing US workers with indians....
PMO tells airlines to keepoff sackings....
Small mills sack 10000 in 3 months....
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Obama economic plan aims for 2.5M new jobs by 2011
WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama promoted an economic plan Saturday he said would create 2.5 million jobs by rebuilding roads and bridges and modernizing schools while developing alternative energy sources and more efficient cars.
"These aren`t just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis. These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long," Obama said in the weekly Democratic radio address.
The goal is to get the plan quickly through Congress, with help from both parties, after Obama takes office Jan. 20. The plan, which envisions those new jobs by January 2011, is "big enough to meet the challenges we face," he said. The president-elect said he has asked his economic advisers to flesh out the recovery plan — one "big enough to meet the challenges we face. ... We`ll be working out the details in the weeks ahead, but it will be a two-year, nationwide effort to jump-start job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy."
Obama noted the growing evidence the country is "facing an economic crisis of historic proportions" and said he was pleased Congress passed an extension of unemployment benefits this past week. But, he added, `We must do more to put people back to work and get our economy moving again."
Nonetheless, he said, "There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it`s likely to get worse before it gets better."
It will take support from Democrats and Republicans to pass the economic plan, Obama said. "I`ll be welcome to ideas and suggestions from both sides of the aisle," he said. "But what is not negotiable is the need for immediate action."
People "are lying awake at night wondering if next week`s paycheck will cover next month`s bills," if their jobs will remain, if their retirement savings will disappear, he added.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said congressional Democrats will "continue pushing for aggressive but necessary measures. Part of that is passing a substantial economic recovery package, like the one President-elect Obama discussed this morning, that creates good-paying jobs here in America and stabilizes a volatile market."
In a slap at President George W. Bush, Reid added, "We will soon finally have a leader and partner in the White House who recognizes the urgency with which we must turn around our economy, and I look forward to working with him and the new Congress to do so."
The Labor Department reported that claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to the highest level since July 1992, providing fresh evidence of the weakening job market.
"We`ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels," Obama said. He also made a commitment to fuel-efficient cars and alternative energy technologies "that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead."
Obama pointed to the past, saying that Americans in this country`s darkest hours have risen above their divisions to solve their problems, as a hope for the future.
"We have acted boldly, bravely, and above all, together," Obama said. "That is the chance our new beginning now offers us, and that is the challenge we must rise to in the days to come. It is time to act. As the next president of the United States, I will."
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In reply to:
Welcome to the world of Obamanomics.
Posted by : sambala
Napolitano was an early supporter of candidate Obama among the ranks of Democratic governors, as was Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Sebelius has figured prominently in recent days in speculation as possible secretary of labor.
Additionally, retired Gen. James Jones, a former Marine Corps commandant and NATO commander, was among those under consideration for national security adviser. James Steinberg, an Obama campaign aide who served in Clinton`s White House, was another possibility, according to officials.
Obama has repeatedly referred to the economic crisis as the top priority for his new administration.
Geithner held posts in the Treasury Department under three administrations and five secretaries before moving to the New York Fed in 2003. He also held positions at the International Monetary Fund and was employed at the private firm of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
The Dow Jones industrials soared by nearly 500 points late in the day Friday, a sharp rise that coincided with the first reports of Geithner`s possible appointment.
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Napolitano was an early supporter of candidate Obama among the ranks of Democratic governors, as was Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Sebelius has figured prominently in recent days in speculation as possible secretary of labor.
Additionally, retired Gen. James Jones, a former Marine Corps commandant and NATO commander, was among those under consideration for national security adviser. James Steinberg, an Obama campaign aide who served in Clinton`s White House, was another possibility, according to officials.
Obama has repeatedly referred to the economic crisis as the top priority for his new administration.
Geithner held posts in the Treasury Department under three administrations and five secretaries before moving to the New York Fed in 2003. He also held positions at the International Monetary Fund and was employed at the private firm of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
The Dow Jones industrials soared by nearly 500 points late in the day Friday, a sharp rise that coincided with the first reports of Geithner`s possible appointment.
...
In reply to:
Welcome to the world of Obamanomics.
Posted by : sambala
Obama moves quickly to fill Cabinet positions
WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama has moved with unusual speed to select officials for his administration, and senior Democratic officials say he intends to name Timothy Geithner as his treasury secretary as soon as Monday.
It was not clear when Obama intended to formally unveil any of his other picks for the administration that takes office at the stroke of noon on Jan. 20. One Democrat said John Podesta, a leader of Obama`s transition team, had told Senate aides on Friday that Obama hoped for speedy confirmation so the new administration could get to work quickly thereafter.
Word of Geithner`s likely selection emerged as New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in line to become secretary of state, said through a spokesman that discussions were on track for her appointment but no final arrangement had been made.
Obama`s choice for attorney general, a third critical post as the president-elect rounds out his top Cabinet echelon, is Eric Holder. He held the No. 2 slot in the Justice Department in President Bill Clinton`s administration.
The president-elect plans to announce Geithner`s appointment in Chicago on Monday, barring an unforeseen snag in a background check that is nearly complete, said one of the senior officials, both of whom were familiar with the deliberations. He`s the president of the New York Federal Reserve.
If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Geithner, 47, would assume chief responsibility for tackling an economic slowdown and credit crunch that threaten to create the deepest recession in more than a generation. In his current post in New York, he has played a key role in the government`s response to the financial crisis and has worked closely with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve.
As a Treasury Department official during the Clinton administration, Geithner (pronounced GITE-ner) dealt with international financial crises and played a major part in negotiating assistance packages for South Korea and Brazil.
Lawrence Summers, a former treasury secretary and one-time Harvard University president, was being considered as an economic adviser. Economic posts also seemed likely for Obama`s top two economic advisers during his campaign, Austan Goolsbee and Jason Furman.
Officials said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had emerged as a likely pick as commerce secretary, although he had hoped to be secretary of state. Like Clinton, he was a rival of Obama`s for the Democratic presidential nomination last winter. He dropped out after the early contests, though, and soon threw his support behind the eventual winner.
The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the anticipated appointments.
The president-elect has largely stayed out of public view since his election on Nov. 4, preferring to work quietly with aides and Vice President-elect Joe Biden in a suite of offices in downtown Chicago.
Obama faces unusual challenges and has moved quickly in assembling his team. Former President George H.W. Bush made his first Cabinet pick the day after his election in 1988, but former President Clinton did not name any members until after Thanksgiving. President George W. Bush`s transition was delayed by the contested result in Florida.
While speculation has been rampant about most top-level appointments, there has been relatively little about Obama`s choice for defense secretary. His aides encouraged speculation before the election that Robert Gates, who now holds the position, would remain in office for an interim period.
Other Cabinet selections so far include former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota as secretary of health and human services and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, likely to be named as secretary of the Homeland Security Department.
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Obama moves quickly to fill Cabinet positions
WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama has moved with unusual speed to select officials for his administration, and senior Democratic officials say he intends to name Timothy Geithner as his treasury secretary as soon as Monday.
It was not clear when Obama intended to formally unveil any of his other picks for the administration that takes office at the stroke of noon on Jan. 20. One Democrat said John Podesta, a leader of Obama`s transition team, had told Senate aides on Friday that Obama hoped for speedy confirmation so the new administration could get to work quickly thereafter.
Word of Geithner`s likely selection emerged as New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in line to become secretary of state, said through a spokesman that discussions were on track for her appointment but no final arrangement had been made.
Obama`s choice for attorney general, a third critical post as the president-elect rounds out his top Cabinet echelon, is Eric Holder. He held the No. 2 slot in the Justice Department in President Bill Clinton`s administration.
The president-elect plans to announce Geithner`s appointment in Chicago on Monday, barring an unforeseen snag in a background check that is nearly complete, said one of the senior officials, both of whom were familiar with the deliberations. He`s the president of the New York Federal Reserve.
If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Geithner, 47, would assume chief responsibility for tackling an economic slowdown and credit crunch that threaten to create the deepest recession in more than a generation. In his current post in New York, he has played a key role in the government`s response to the financial crisis and has worked closely with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve.
As a Treasury Department official during the Clinton administration, Geithner (pronounced GITE-ner) dealt with international financial crises and played a major part in negotiating assistance packages for South Korea and Brazil.
Lawrence Summers, a former treasury secretary and one-time Harvard University president, was being considered as an economic adviser. Economic posts also seemed likely for Obama`s top two economic advisers during his campaign, Austan Goolsbee and Jason Furman.
Officials said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had emerged as a likely pick as commerce secretary, although he had hoped to be secretary of state. Like Clinton, he was a rival of Obama`s for the Democratic presidential nomination last winter. He dropped out after the early contests, though, and soon threw his support behind the eventual winner.
The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the anticipated appointments.
The president-elect has largely stayed out of public view since his election on Nov. 4, preferring to work quietly with aides and Vice President-elect Joe Biden in a suite of offices in downtown Chicago.
Obama faces unusual challenges and has moved quickly in assembling his team. Former President George H.W. Bush made his first Cabinet pick the day after his election in 1988, but former President Clinton did not name any members until after Thanksgiving. President George W. Bush`s transition was delayed by the contested result in Florida.
While speculation has been rampant about most top-level appointments, there has been relatively little about Obama`s choice for defense secretary. His aides encouraged speculation before the election that Robert Gates, who now holds the position, would remain in office for an interim period.