M K Stalin may lose MLA office at Kolathur

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on December 21, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/Stalin-may-lose-office-at-Kolathur/345489.html

CHENNAI: The Kolathur MLA and DMK’s prominent face, M K Stalin, is all set to lose his office (allotted in his constituency at Jawahar Nagar) as the government has cancelled the allotment made through a resolution in the Corporation in June last.

In June last, the DMK-majority Corporation passed a resolution and allotted offices to Kolathur, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Royapuram and Virugambakam MLAs. But, allotment of MLA office to Stalin on a school premises in Kolathur invited sharp criticism from the locals. 
The Jawahar Nagar Residents Welfare Association had wanted Stalin’s office to be shifted to another location as the building belonged to the Scouts movement. 
Their opposition gathered steam after the High Court (in another case in January) observed that the area had been marked for educational purposes decades ago. Based on the fact, Corporation Commissioner in July sent a detailed letter to the government (MAWS department) to nullify the June-resolution that allotted the MLA office to Stalin. 
Meanwhile, Stalin inaugurated his office on the premises in mid-July. On the other hand, the MAWS department on November 8 through GO-440 cancelled the allotment of MLA office to Stalin at Jawahar Nagar.

In the AIADMK-majority Council, the resolution ‘advising’ the zonal officer to reclaim the office would be discussed on Thursday and given the brute majority, it should sail through easily.

19 Year Old Mother of Three

Source:http://echwaluphotography.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/19-year-old-mother-of-three/

I had never in my life heard or met a 19 year old mother of three. And in my wildest dream, I would never have imagined that one would exist anywhere in the world until I met Itungu Zonnet at the ISIS-WICCE Expo in Kasese, 350 kilometres (220 miles) West of Kampala.

I had a lot of questions for her and so did the world. So I ventured to the social media (Facebook and Twitter) to politely ask them to front Questions for Zonnet. Below, she answers those questions.

Please tell me a brief about yourself – @echwalu

I am called Itungu Zonnet, 19 years old and a mother of three. My first born is 5 years (Mumbere Robert), second born is 3 years (Fiona Muhindo) and the third born is 5 months old (Bombale Richard).

How does it feel being a mother at your age- Paul Menya

I feel proud as a mother. Its problems that have pushed me into being a mum at this age. I wanted to go to school, I wanted to stay in school but the money was not there that’s why I had to opt for marriage.

What was your first reaction when you go to know you were pregnant? @echwalu

I was somehow scared and decided to stay indoors. It was the first time I had slept with a man. It was until after 6 months that’s when I started going for antenatal. But I had just dropped out of school because of school fees and did not have that many options available for me. So I was able to accept my condition.

“Did anyone ever tell you it’s your right to say NO to a man wanting to have sex with you?” Susanne Possing

Its not like i had many options then?

Tell us about your deliveries. @omuteso 

My birth was very normal. I pushed my first, second and third without any complications. So yes, I was lucky to have normal deliveries. I think because I never missed my antenatal visits at Kagando Hospital.

How do you economically handle such a family at your tender age? @pkahill and @maureenagena

I work and dig in different peoples’ gardens and that’s the only way I get money to feed my kids. It from that little that I buy clothes, medicine and food for my children. Accommodation is a problem as I don’t own land and so I live in different homes given to me for free. But right now am living in my in laws rentals.

Do you get support from your Husband? @omuteso

My husband tries to give me help but he too does not have a job. So we do the same all try looking for work in peoples gardens and get paid.

Are you proud of your children? @MeRy71

Yes, of course. I love my children very much even if I am struggling to take care of them.

If you were given a second chance, what would you do with your life @RosebellK

I want to go back to school. I think my life stopped when I started having children. And in five years time, I hope I would be back to school on track to being a nurse so that I would take care of my children.

Do you plan to have more children? @echwalu

Right now, I don’t plan to add another child but I hope to give it a break for 6 years before I can maybe get another child. Hopefully that’s when I would have got a job, earning a salary where I can take care of my kids.

Chennai: Radars to secure TN’s coastline

Pics-D Sampath Kumar/ Exp

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on December 20, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/radars-to-secure-tn%E2%80%99s-coastline/345125.html

CHENNAI: The Indian Coast Guard (Eastern region), which has been entrusted to maintain radars (to be fixed by Bharat Electronics Ltd) atop selected lighthouses along the state’s coastline to improve security and continued surveillance of maritime domain, has begun the installation work on Monday.

Of the seven lighthouses selected along the state’s 900-odd km coastline, the Marina Beach lighthouse, opposite the DGP’s office, was the first one, where BEL officials fixed the radar.

According to Coast Guard sources, such radars would be fixed atop seven lighthouses, selected on the security importance and other coastal parameters.

The process would be completed within a year in a phased manner.

Sources also told Express that the radar sensor would be able to detect objects at a distance of around 15 to 20 nautical miles.

Apart from keeping an eye on big vessels, it will also help identify and detect small dinghies and boats sailing in the sea or even if they are stationary. Chennai would become the regional hub for the radars, sources said.

The radar would help the Coast Guard track any suspicious movement with swift neutralising action. Besides, the information collected would also be shared with other state and Central agencies.

Once the Coastal Security Network System is in place, it will surely boost our real time maritime domain awareness, sources added.

NGOs seek Ministry for TN’s expatriates

By G Saravanan
Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on December 18, 2011:


Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/ngos-seek-ministry-for-tn%E2%80%99s-expatriates/344540.html
CHENNAI: Sending out a fervent appeal on  International Migrants Day, different NGOs working for migrants in the state appealed to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, on Saturday, to seriously contemplate setting up a separate ministry for migrant workers to help them while in distress.

S Sivasomasundaram, secretary of Tamil Nadu based NGO, Migrant Employees Education for Transformation, Prevention and Protection Union (MEETPPU), said, “setting up of a dedicated ministry for migrant workers in the state has become imperative and need of the hour as Tamil workers are suffering at the hands of employers without proper legal cover in foreign countries.” 
NGOs want the state government to emulate Kerala, which has formed a separate ministry, NORKA (Non Resident Keralites’ Affairs) that has been helping out Keralites.

NORKA has been successful among Kerala’s migrant population. M Josephine Amala Valarmathi, state coordinator of migrant forum India, said, “We appeal to the Chief Minister to set up a ministry to secure social security and livelihood opportunities of migrants.”

Sri Lankan army commanders 'assassinated surrendering Tamils'

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/srilanka/8964147/Sri-Lankan-army-commanders-assassinated-surrendering-Tamils.html

Sri Lankan army commanders were ordered by the country's leaders to assassinate surrendering Tamils in the final phase of the long and brutal civil war, according to a senior former military officer.

By Alex Spillius and Emanuel Stoakes

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The claims are contained in a sworn deposition, seen by The Daily Telegraph, made by a career officer who rose to the rank of major general before he fled the country in fear of his life to seek asylum in the United States.

He is the highest ranking person to assert that atrocities against Tamil rebels and civilians were sanctioned at the highest echelons of the government. The source had the highest security clearance and close contact with some of the army's most powerful figures.

His testimony contradicted a government-appointed commission, which concluded that Sri Lanka's military did not intentionally target civilians.

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report, which was released last week, said some isolated allegations of civilian abuses by security forces needed to be investigated further, suggesting that any violations could only have resulted from soldiers who were not following orders.

That assertion flew in the face of an extensive United Nations report that accused the government of deliberately shelling civilian areas and possibly killing tens of thousands of people in the final months.

In his deposition, the major general says that he was informed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the defence secretary and brother of President Mahindra Rajapaksa, passed on "some instructions to a field commander to get rid of those LTTE [Tamil Tiger] cadres [who] are surrendering without adhering to normal procedures".

Such an order, he said, "should come from either the secretary of the defence, with the knowledge of the president involved. He also has to be kept informed. The commanders could not undertake such decisions."

It has been estimated that 20,000 people or more died in the closing months of the civil war in 2009.

The source, whose name has been withheld for his own safety, confirmed that assassinating Tamil Tigers who had been captured or surrendered became "standard operating procedure" as the Sri Lankan military forces closed in on the last rebel resistance on a strip of land on the island's northeastern coast. Tamil activists are hoping that the evidence provided by the officer will build pressure for a war crimes prosecution against the president or defence secretary.

The US Department of Justice has a live file on the issue but has yet to prosecute, despite a leaked cable written by the US ambassador to Colombo which said that "responsibility for many alleged crimes rests with the country's senior civilian and military leadership", including both Rajapaksas and Gen Sarath Fonseka, then the armed forces commander.

American human rights lawyers are seeking to prosecute the defence secretary under the US Torture Victim Protection Act, which allows prosecutions against foreign leaders and officials who commit torture or extra-judicial killings.

Bruce Fein, a human rights lawyer, said that the alleged actions of Sri Lanka's rulers and commanders appeared to be genocide.

"It's hard to come to conclusion that the aim wasn't to destroy the Tamil people in whole or substantial part," he said, citing the definition of genocide under international law.

A video obtained by Channel 4 purported to show the assassination of what were thought to be Tamil rebels. The Sri Lankan army labelled the video as a fabrication. Other witnesses described various incidents of indiscriminate killing.

The UN also blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for allegedly using civilians as human shields – a claim also made by the Sri Lankan government – and for using child soldiers.

Throughout its 26-year battle for autonomy, the ethnic minority rebels pioneered suicide bombing as a terror method, killed thousands of civilians among the Sinhalese majority and committed numerous atrocities that led to it being designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and Britain.

The testimony from the senior officer was first obtained by The International, an investigative website based in the US. It backed up various other allegations of illegal conduct by the authorities.

He said that to his knowledge shortly after becoming defence secretary in 2005 Mr Rajapaksa sanctioned the creation of a "hit squad" known for operating out of a white van to remove suspected LTTE members or collaborators off the streets of the capital Colombo.

Yolanda Foster, the Sri Lanka researcher for Amnesty International, said: "We doubt Sri Lanka's will and ability to bring the perpetrators to justice, given the scale of the allegations and the potential that serving members of the Sri Lankan government may be implicated."

A spokesman for the Sri Lankan high commission in London said: "We categorically deny these malicious allegations."

போராயுதம் போகட்டும் அறிவாயுதத்தை தூக்குவோம்

Source:http://www.valampurii.com/online/viewnews.php?ID=25929

தீ பற்றி எரிகிறது. தீ ...தீ... இப்படி ஒருவர் கதறுகிறார். இன்னொருவரோ தீயைத் தணிப்பதற்கு வழி தேடுகிறார். தீ... தீ... என்று கதறி என்ன பயன்? தீயை எங்ஙனம் கட்டுப்பாட்டுக்குள் கொண்டு வருவது எனச் சிந்தித்து சமயோசிதமாக செயற்படுவது அறிவின் பண்பட்டது. எனவே கத்திக் கதறுவதைவிட, காத்திரமான செயற்பாட்டை எடுப்பதுமேல்.தமிழ் மக்களைப் பொறுத்தவரை அவர்கள் ஆயுதப் போராட்டத்தில் முப்பது ஆண்டுகளை தொலைத்துவிட்டனர்.இவ்வாறான நீண்ட ஆயுதப் போராட்டத்திற்கான காரணம் சேர் பொன்.இராமநாதன் போன்ற தமிழ்த் தலைவர்கள் அறிவாயுதத்தை பிரயோகிக்கத் தவறியமையாகும்.

அவர்கள் நினைத்திருந்தால், தமிழ் மக்கள் சகல உரிமைகளோடும் வாழும் வகை பெற்றிருப்பர். ஆனால், சேர் பொன். இராமநாதன் போன்றவர்கள் சிங்கள மக்களோடு சேர்ந்து வாழ முடியும் எனக் கருதினர். அவர்களிடம் சின்னத்தனம் இருக்கவில்லை. ஆனால் இந்த நாட்டின் முதல் பிரதமராக இருந்த டி.எஸ்.சேனநாயக்க உள்ளிட்ட அன்றைய சிங்களத் தலைவர்கள் தமிழ் மக்கள் தொடர் பில் கபடத்தனமாக நடந்துகொண்டனர். இதனால் தமிழ் மக்கள் ஏமாற்றப்பட்டனர். ஆயுதம் ஏந்திப் போராட வேண்டிய சூழ்நிலை உருவாகிற்று.சர்வதேச சமூகத்தின் மாறுநிலைக் கொள்கைகள் எங்கள் ஆயுதப் போராட்டத்தின் ஆணி வேரை அறுத்துவிட எங்கள் நிலை மோசமான தாயிற்று.

எனினும் ஆயுதப் போராட்டத்தின் தோல்வி தமிழ் மக்களுக்கு கிடைக்கவேண்டிய உரிமையை இல்லாது செய்துவிட முடியாது. ஆகவே போராயுதம் என்பதில் இருந்து விடு பட்ட நாம் அறிவாயுதத்தை ஏந்தவேண்டியவர்களாக இருக்கின் றோம். அறிவாயுதம் என்பது போராயுதம் வைத்தி ருப்பவரையும் வெற்றி கொள்ளக்கூடியது.அறிவாயுதப் போராட்ட த்தில் தோல்விக்கு இடமேயில்லை. இராஜதந்திரத்திற்கான வியூகம் என்பது முதன்மை பெறுகின்றது. உதாரணத்திற்கு வெளிநாட்டுத் தூதுவர்கள் யாழ்ப்பாணத்திற்கு வருகை தந்து தமிழ் மக் களின் நிலைமைகளைக் கேட்கின்றனர். அவர் கள் யாரைச் சந்தித்தாலும் சந்திப்பவர்களுடன் நடத்துகின்ற கலந்துரையாடல்களில் இருந்தே தமிழ் மக்களின் சமகால நிலைமை பற்றி தீர்மானிப்பர். எனினும் இதுவிடயத்தில் நாம் ஒருமித்து எங்கள் அவல நிலையை கூறத் தலைப்பட் டோமா எனில் இல்லை என்பதே பதிலாக இருக்கும். எனவே இங்குதான் அறிவாயுதம் தேவைப்படுகின்றது. வெளிநா ட்டுத் தூதுவர்கள் வருவ தற்கு முன்னதாக அவர்கள் யார்? அவர்களிடம் எந்தப் பிரச்சினையை எடுத்துக் கூற வேண் டும். அவர்கள் எங்கள் தொடர்பிலும் அரசு தொடர்பிலும் கொண்டுள்ள உறவுநிலை யாது என்பது பற்றி முன்கூட்டியே ஆராய்ந்து திட்டமிட்டு அதன் பிரகாரம் ஒத்த கருத்தை முன்வைக்க வேண்டும். இதைவிடுத்து தேடிவந்த தூதுவர்க ளிடம் சொல்லவேண்டியதை சொல்லாமல் விட்டு விட்டு, தேவையற்றதை கதைப்பது எங்கள் மீட்சியை நாங்களே தடுத்து நிறுத்துவதற்கு ஒப்பானதாகும்.

Facebook's Revenue Numbers Just Leaked, And The Numbers Look Underwhelming

By Nicholas Carlson
Source:http://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-revenue-numbers-just-leaked-and-the-numbers-look-underwhelming-2011-12#ixzz1gcZVL4SQ

Gawker's Ryan Tate just published what he says "a source with knowledge of Facebook's finances" tell him are…Facebook's finances.

The numbers look a little light.
Facebook was supposed to generate about $4 billion in revenue this year and make $2 billion in EBITDA.
Through three quarters, Facebook's revenues – according to this source – only came in at $2.5 billion. 
That means unless Facebook has a very big, $1.5 billion fourth quarter it will miss expectations. Facebook is growing very fast and $1.5 billion is definitely a possibility, but it isn't a lock: $1.5 billion is about 80% higher than the $830 million Facebook generated on average over the year's first three quarters.
EBIDTA (earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes, and amortization) isn't listed here, but similar metrics – operating cashflow and operating income – are, at $1 billion and $1.2 billion respectively.  
Again, it will take a big fourth quarter – $1 billion in profits! – for Facebook to meet expectations sources set earlier this year.
HERE IS WHAT IS CLEAR: Facebook is not blowing away the numbers that leaked at the beginning of 2011. That in itself feels like a disappointment. The company is NOT going through a surprising run of growth.  It's also worth pointing out that Facebook still continues to trail the pace set by Google during its first seven years as a company.
TATE:

Facebook By The Numbers

Jan. 2011 – Sept. 2011

Assets: $5.6 billion
Cash/cash equivalents: $3.5 billion
Debt: $0
Shareholder equity: $4.5 billion

Operating cashflow: $1 billion
Revenue: $2.5 billion
Operating income: $1.2 billion
Net income: $714 million

Ownership: Employees 30%, Mark Zuckerberg 24%, Digital Sky Technologies 10%, Accel Partners 8% (had 10% but sold 2%), Dustin Moskowitz 6%, Eduardo Saverin 5%, Sean Parker 4%, Goldman Sachs clients 3%, Microsoft 1.3%, Peter Thiel and/or Clarium Capital 3%, Greylock Partners 1.4%, Meritech Capital Partners 1.6%, Chris Hughes 1 %, Li Ka-shing .75%, Interpublic Group .50%,, Goldman Sachs .8%,