Just for the extra penny!

Today's economic crisis has created challenging times for many employees. While most of them are fretting over job security, there are many who are looking at different ways to earn those extra bucks
What can you do with supplemental income? Plenty! Just take your pick: put the extra money into your savings account, buy stuff you've always wanted to have, invest the extra cash, maybe pay off a few pending bills. These and more are reasons enough why employees these days are seeking ways to earn extra money besides earning from their regular, full time jobs. Extra Innings… Working part-time is often the way to go if you want to earn extra without disrupting your regular job. Assess your skills, hobbies, interests and training. Usually, you’ll find that the source of supplemental income for you is usually something that is related to your current job. Vira Mundroina, for example, who is working as an assistant manager with a financial organisation is also an Avon representative for the last 20 years. “As an assistant manager, I have a lot of responsibilities and need to put in at least 7-8 hours of work. But I try to devote some time everyday to my networking business (Avon) as it requires me to attend meetings,” says Mundroina. Just a little more…. “Supplemental income is very important in today's economic crisis. The standard of living has gone up to quite an extent. It's not just food, clothing and shelter, but a lot of other needs that need to be fulfilled,” adds Mundroina. Although there's too much of hard work involved, Mundroina doesn’t mind putting in extra hours as it gets her the extra income along with recognition. Alka Aswani, who owns a chic boutique in a posh suburban area strongly feels the need for a supplemental income. “A second job always come handy as it fetches the much needed extra bucks,” confirms Aswani. Besides owning a boutique, Aswani is also an agent advisor with a leading life insurance company. And not only that! She also works as a subagent with a travel agency wherein she issues tickets to her clients. “Since insurance is the only guaranteed factor, it gets me good business which in turn gets me the extra income,” adds Aswani. “I operate as a sub-agent from my boutique itself as I have enough space. I get access to international fares at a lesser rate and this helps me get a few extra bucks,” she further adds. For Alrio Franko, who is currently working for a leading BPO as a product trainer, putting his creative talent to use is the best way to earn supplemental income. Franko, who is a trained guitarist, gives guitar tuitions as and when he finds time from work. “A call centre job usually pays well, so there is no need for a second job. A second job can be taken up as a passion and not really as an extra source of income,” feels Franko. We suggest ways to earn supplemental income: 1)Earn money from your hobbies – Turn your garden into a produce shop, put your baking skills to good use, or sell handmade crafts. 2)Put your musical talents to good use – Can you play an instrument? Hire yourself to play at small parties, or offer music lessons. 3)Put up things on sale - Have a garage sale or put unused and unwanted items up for sale. 4)Become a tutor – Fluent in more than one language or a whiz at math? Post flyers around your neighbourhood or place an ad in the local paper and put your expertise to good use. 5)Rent a room – If you have a spare room in your house or an apartment, consider giving it on rent. 6)Embrace your inner chef – Have a neighbourhood bake sale with your famous cookies, pastries and pies or find a local restaurant looking for fresh, homemade pastries.

The Man who designed the BANDRA-WORLI sea link.

Seshadri Srinivasan with his design of the Sea Link

On Tuesday, this city got its newest landmark: the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. We spoke to the man who designed this engineering marvel on the day it was inaugurated

Looking at Seshadri Srinivasan, it’s hard to believe that this unassuming gentleman is responsible for the design of Mumbai’s newest landmark: the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Yet, the whole behemoth, inaugurated on Tuesday, first took its present form in the sketches of this 77-yearold bridge designer. “I’ve lost count of the number of bridges I’ve designed,” says Srinivasan, a 1958 post-graduate in structural engineering from Madras University. “In fact, it would be safe to say that I designed my 100th bridge a long time ago.” And indeed, the man has quite a few famous bridges to his credit, from the JJ Flyover that was completed in 2002 to the world-renowned Jamarat Bridge in the holy city of Mecca, which is used by Muslims during Haj in the stoning-of-the-devil ritual. Still, it took three attempts before he could find the ideal mix of elegance and utility with his designs in Mumbai. In 1986, he had submitted six designs for the Thane Creek bridge. “At that time, the UP government had won the bid, and my design came in second,” he says. His second foray was the JJ Flyover: a purely utilitarian project. It was only with the Sea Link that Srinivasan seems completely satisfied. Srinivasan’s work on the bridge began in March 2003 when his firm Dar Al-Handsah was awarded the design project. “Our design brief was to look at a cablestay bridge. Of course, this brief went through myriad changes,” he says, smiling. “Earlier, it was a single tower, which would carry both decks on a single support. This meant both carriageways (roads) would have to be built simultaneously. Then, when plans changed to the present-day two towers, the design got simplified. “But this meant more expenditure, resources and spending more time on the project.” But still, Srinivasan loves his creations like a doting father. “Show me any bridge that you think looks better than this Sea Link,” he says proudly, while quickly adding that bridge-building is not only about aesthetics. When working on any such structure, designers have to consider various factors such as meteorological reports which describe wind speeds, height of waves, etc, he says. “It has to be built without risk - ease in building is one of the most important factors that should be considered during the design stage. Also, one needs to factor in the load it has to carry. After all, the bridge has to last for a good 120 years,” he adds. But, he’s quickly lost in the moment, and gets romantic about Mumbai’s newest landmark. “I believe in a structure that’s elegant from each and every angle,” he says, staring at pictures of the Sea Link in his office. And then, he suddenly reminisces about his Wadi Abdoun Bridge in Lebanon, which was completed in 2006. “Today couples exchange their wedding vows on the bridge and get their wedding pictures shot there. Besides the utility, people should be enchanted by it,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes. “That’s what I expect from this bridge.”

Now, software that allows laptops to shout for help when stolen!

Mon, Mar 2 05:20 PM
London Mar 2 (ANI): Scientists have developed a computer program that allows laptops to shout for help if they have been stolen.
The program, called Retriever, has been developed by a software company called Front Door Software Corporation, reports the Telegraph.
Retriever enables users to display alerts on the missing computer's screen and even to set a spoken message such as a shout or a warning.
Tracking software for stolen laptops has been on the market for some time, but this is understood to be the first that allows owners to activate recorded messages, according to The Times.
Owners must report their laptop missing by logging on to a website, which sends a message to the computer, triggering on-screen messages of warning to the thief and voice alerts.
The 21-pound software, designed by the Colorado-based firm, also collects information if the stolen laptop is being used to access the Internet so that the police can be alerted to its location. (ANI)
ANI

India gold price fall fails to attract buyers

Tue, Mar 3 02:43 PM
A three percent drop in India gold prices on Tuesday failed to attract buyers as they awaited a drop below the psychological 15,000-rupees-mark, with the flow of scrap expected to ease, traders and dealers said.
"There is no much demand even as prices have fallen," said Pinakin Vyaas, chief manager-treasury with IndusInd Bank in Mumbai.
"Orders are there... but they are in the range of $900-908," added Vyaas, "signifying that traders want further correction in prices."
"Buyers are a bit cautious," said a dealer with a state-run bank, "they are waiting for sub-$900 levels."
The benchmark April contract was 2.95 percent lower at 15,340 rupees per 10 grams at 2:17 p.m., after falling to a low of 15,305 rupees earlier.
The contract has fallen about 4 percent from its new all-time high of 16,040 rupees struck on Feb. 20 as investors resorted to profit-taking.
"There are no takers for gold," said Daman Prakash Rathod, director with Chennai-based MNC Bullion, adding "nothing is happening at retail or the wholesale level."
"Discounts have widened between bank and local gold by 4.5 percent," Rathod added.
"Wholesalers kept on calling for selling gold when it was at 15,800 yesterday," Rathod said.
SCRAP FLOW MAY EASE
Traders and dealers said the inflow of scrap may ease as prices have fallen considerably from its record highs.
"The flow of scrap should be coming down," said IndusInd Bank's Vyaas.
The recent influx of scrap gold in the market had restricted demand for new bars, bruising imports of the world's largest consumer.
India has not imported any gold in February as high prices dampened demand, according to Suresh Hundia, president of the Bombay Bullion Association.

More Indians find 'superior' career options at home than in US

New York, Mar 2 (PTI) Uncle Sam's land may not be as attractive a destination as widely believed, as a survey shows that many Indian immigrants found professional and career prospects far better in their home country than in the US. Besides, in several cases, better career avenues back home influenced their decision to return. The study conducted by Harvard professor Vivek Wadhwa surveyed highly-skilled immigrants, who had worked or received their education in the US and later returned to their home countries.
"Respondents strongly indicated that they felt that professional and career opportunities at home were superior to those in the US. Eighty four per cent of Chinese and 68.7 per cent of Indian respondents stated that better professional opportunities were strong factors in their decision to return home," the study titled 'America's loss is the world's gain: America's New Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Part IV' said. The survey, which covered 1,203 Indian and Chinese immigrants, revealed that better career opportunities was the reason for more than 63 per cent of the Indians to come back to India.
PTI.
PTI

Six Sri Lankan cricket players wounded in Pakistan attack

Enlarge Photo Sri Lanka's cricket team player Kumar Sangakkara (2nd L) warms up with his team mates...
Tue, Mar 3 11:15 AM
Six members of the Sri Lankan cricket squad were wounded when around a dozen gunmen attacked their bus as it drove under police escort on Tuesday to a stadium in the Pakistani city of Lahore, witnesses and officials said.
Lahore Police chief Habib-ur-Rehman said five people were killed in the attack by the unidentified gunmen, who fired AK 47s and rockets and hurled grenades as the team bus drove to the 60,000-seater Gaddafi stadium in the eastern city.
Sri Lanka's sports minister said five players and an assistant coach were wounded, two of whom were being treated in hospital.
"Police are chasing the terrorists," police chief Habib-ur-Rehman said. "They appeared to be trained men."
The attack had echoes with one on the Indian city of Mumbai in November which led to the Indian cricket team cancelling its planned tour of Pakistan.
India blamed that attack on Pakistan-trained militants and the incident sharply raised tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Sri Lanka, which had been invited to Pakistan after India pulled out, immediately cancelled the rest of the tour.
"We are trying to bring the team back as quickly as possible," a Sri Lankan cricket official said.
Pakistan TV showed footage of gunmen with rifles and backpacks running through the streets and firing on unidentified vehicles.
The driver of the Sri Lankan team coach said one of the attackers had thrown a grenade under the bus, but it did not detonate.
A witness told Reuters he believed two police commandos were killed along with a regular policeman and a traffic warden.
Shopkeeper Ahmed Ali said the two police commandos had been driving behind the team bus when they were hit.
"It was a very heavy firing and I heard at least two explosions at the time," said a Reuters witness who had been on his way to cover the test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Cricketer Thilan Samaraweera seemed to be the worst hit, suffering a thigh injury, a player on the team bus who did not wish to be identified told Reuters by phone.
It was unclear whether injuries were caused by bullets, shrapnel or flying shards of glass.
(Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; Editing by David Fox)