AUTO STRIKE IN TRIVANDRUM

(Drivers rights VS Passengers rights)

A spokesman of the Kerala State Motor Workers Coordination Committee last day said there would be a strike from December 21st if the government did not announce the “promised” increase in fares. This statement seems good to read, and all will think how well the auto drivers in Trivandrum waiting patiently for so many days. As a daily traveller in auto rickshaw I know that many of the auto drivers in Trivandrum take more money from the passengers. As the coordination committee have the right to declare strike, where they are after the demands are met. Is there any auto drivers committee to teach them how to behave properly? I’m sure most of the persons who have used auto rickshaw in Trivandrum will have complaint of the drivers. I have not yet seen any of the drivers taking correct meter fare yet. When asked for a trip some will ask all the detail and is not ready for the trip. All can watch the auto drivers show off at central station road or thampanoor bus stand, before starting the trip they will fix up the fare without the meter. Once when I had a talk with an auto driver they all came as gang, and teased me, I know what all things have to be done with the driver, but my time is more valuable than him, so I left him. The Trivandrum City Police is always telling of giving complaint for who all ask more that the meter fare , and who all behaves badly. Yes that’s good, but let me ask where do people have time to complaint for one or two rupees, and why do we have to waste our day without going to class or office. Hope everyone will remember, some months back a Judicial Magistrate of Trivandrum court, had a bad experience with an auto driver at Pettah railway station, this was reported by all news papers. Anyway let the auto drivers strike and win their goal, but do collect the correct fare, and behave neatly to passengers after that.

LET THE CHILDRENS BE FREE

Children- we should never forget that they are the future of mankind. They have to look after for a better tomorrow. Children have been exposed to every form of violence - , war victims, rape, killings, beatings, prostitution. War has taken on new, more horrifying character to an increasing extent; children’s are becoming directly involved in wars as a shield. I have read that children and women are placed in front to protect the extremists from police &gun shots. Even in our country it’s seen that children’s are placed for job, when placing children’s for job the entrepreneur can save lots of money than placing a grown up person. Child prostitution is also becoming increasing in our country. When incidents of child brutality come as news it will be covered by the culprit with his so called man power or political connections. The news media has much and more to do against the brutality of childrenin India. A combination of fear and poverty drives some parents to hand their children over to child labour, or illegal activities. There are also children who just become soldiers to survive.

Why can’t we spare the children from all these. The leaders and groups take care of their own children, and simply show off and talk more to get attention in the crowd. All children who die in the war zone are not killed for their own reason, but they are killed for some of the reasons of their leaders who want to conquer the world, but they don’t know that their world will never stand without a good new generation of children. When ones own child starves for food or get killed then they will know the pain.

LET THESE PHOTOS SPEAK MORE THAN WORDS

Facts of OSCAR

The first awards were presented on May 16, 1929 at a private dinner in Hollywood, with an audience of less than 250 people. Since the first year the awards have been publicly broadcast, at first by radio then by TV after 1953. During the first decade the results were given to newspapers for publication at 11 p.m. on the night of the awards. This method was ruined when the Los Angeles Times announced the winners before the ceremony began; as a result the Academy has since used a sealed envelope to reveal the name of the winners. Since 2002, the awards have been broadcast from the Kodak Theatre.

The official name of the Oscar statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. It takes about a week-and-a-half to create each Academy Award, made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes each represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians. The figurines cost an estimated $18,000, but are "worth millions to the recipients," says Scott Siegel, president of R.S. Owens.

Each statuette takes 40 hours of work to make. Once the plating is completed, the Oscar figure is screwed onto its metal base. Each statuette also is numbered. The academy began numbering statuettes in 1949, starting with No. 501. About 50 to 60 trophies are made every year in Chicago under tight security by manufacturer R.S. Owens & Company. The Oscar statuette presented to each winner is made in Chicago of gold-plated britannium, a metal alloy. The origins of the nickname "Oscar" are not clear, according to the Academy's website More than 6,000 members of the Academy - including actors, directors, producers, studio executives, composers and behind-the-cameras crew - cast secret ballots to determine the Oscar winners. Representatives from accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers count the votes and place the winners' names in sealed envelopes. They are not opened until Oscar night.