SAJAforum

Former banker leads meditation sessions at Occupy Wall Street

If you have visited Zuccotti Park recently, you may have seen a man in his thirties leading a meditation session of about 30 protesters.

A midst the chaos that is inherently part of Occupy Wall Street movement, that's Rasanath Das or Chelakara Ramanth (his given name), a former investment banker and an Ivy League graduate who now wakes up at 4:30 a.m. for daily prayer and occasionally goes to Zuccotti Park to lead meditation sessions.

According to a profile in the Wall Street Journal by Jo Piazza, Das, who spends most of his time looking for enlightenment, once used to earn a $170,000 salary negotiating deals at Bank of America.

JOBS: A U.S. Job Fair for Those Who Want To Work in India

Here's an unusual jobs-related item that came via e-mail: A job fair in the US for those looking to move to India. Includes booths for journalism jobs at the Hindustan Times, a general-interest daily and Mint, a Delhi-based business launched by SAJAers Raju Narisetti (now managing editor of the Washington Post), S. Mitra Kalita (now an editor at WSJ in NYC) and others with U.S. connections who moved temporarily or permanently to India.

From: Helena Podgorniak <helena.podgorniak@relianceada.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:50:25
Subject: India Calling! US Job Fair 2010 - Journalism Jobs In India Available!

Greetings from Shine.com!

Shine.com, a career portal of Hindustan Times Media Ltd., is pleased to announce US Job Fair 2010 - a Job & Relocation Fair in US to be held over 2 weekends in August and September, reaching out to NRIs looking for job opportunities in India. The fair will be held in New Jersey & California.

   - 28th and 29th August at Raritan Exposition Centre, Edison, NJ
   - 3rd and 4th September at Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA

BUSINESS: Foreign companies employing Americans and Providing a Lifeline

“The Selling of the American Economy: How Foreign Companies Are Remaking the American Dream” is a new book by NYT reporter Micheline Maynard. An excerpt ran in today's NYT and here are three key paras:

As scores of companies are hemorrhaging jobs, closing plants and slashing compensation, foreign employers have become a lifeline for Ms. Ryan and millions of other Americans. While they haven’t been immune from the recession, foreign-owned companies in the United States have a work force of more than 5.3 million, or some 3.5 percent of all workers, and are spread across the 50 states in sectors from manufacturing to retail and publishing. If these jobs did not exist, the nation’s unemployment rate would be above 13 percent.

Investments in the United States by big car companies like Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz have received the greatest share of attention over the past two decades. But there are also tens of thousands of Americans working for companies like the Tata Group of India, which recently reopened the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan and makes Eight O’Clock Coffee; Haier, the Chinese appliance maker, with a refrigerator plant in South Carolina and an impressive headquarters in a landmark building in Manhattan; and Nestlé, the Swiss food company, which employs hundreds to make Nesquik and Coffee-Mate in Indiana. Even Anheuser-Busch, America’s best-selling beer maker, is now owned by a Belgian company, InBev.

Foreign companies may touch a nerve in American society and may still be an object of fear and distrust among many, who view foreign investment as a threat to the American worker and way of life. But foreign investment isn’t simply about helping workers earn a weekly paycheck. Foreign companies that invest in the United States are having a significant — and largely positive — impact on not only the lives of workers, but also the health of the American economy and society as a whole.

That got me thinking there must be other companies based in India that are employing Americans. We are not talking about companies that import Indian citizens to work for U.S. subsidiaries via the H1-B program; we are talking about companies that are the Indian equivalents of the Japanese automotive plants in various U.S. regions.

If you know of any beyond the Tata Group/Pierre Hotel/Eight O'Clock Coffee sited above, please list them in the comments section below.

CARTOON: Nick Anderson on Pakistan

This ran in the Houston Chronicle and other papers on March 27, 2009. Post your comments below. More on Nick Anderson's work at http://blogs.chron.com/nickanderson/

PHILANTHROPY: Ikea makes a $48 million donation to UNICEF India

Interesting to see a corporation doing philanthropy in the middle of the economic crisis. A message from long-time SAJA list member Kate Donovan of UNICEF:

On Monday 23 February, Ikea, the Swedish home furnishings company,  is going to announce a $48 million donation to UNICEF India for programmes focusing on the health and nutrition of children; creating a healthy environment for children and their families at home and in school; ensuring water safety and supply management; protecting children’s rights. They are aiming to reach tens of millions.  Which brings their total in corporate philanthropy to $180 million, (some $120 million has gone to India alone). Marianne Barner, IKEA's Social Initiative chief, is available for an interviews Monday and Tuesday. She is making the announcement at the UN conference on  Philanthropy and Global Public Health.  To arrange an interview, contact Kate Donovan at kdonovan[at]unicef.org or call 1 917 378 2128 or 1 718 362 0606.

Post your comments.

FASHION: Nepali designer Prabal Gurung gets attention

Fashion Week 2009 is the annual  week of glitz and glamor in New York City, even in these trying times. Skinny women and chiseled men walk the ramp, showcasing a designer’s dream collection. This year, amid well-known designers from all across the fashion world displaying the latest couture, there is a name that might sound familiar to Nepalis—Prabal Gurung.

Gurung, former design director for Bill Blass, with his first collection and charismatic style, is getting attention in the Big Apple.

From The New York Times:

Last night, I’m sure a few memories were made on W. 25th Street. The wind was blowing hard, the cars and taxis were double-parked, and people were streaming in and out of the galleries for the Thursday-night openings. Prabal Gurung, a former assistant at Bill Blass, presented his first collection, at the Flag Art Foundation. The place was jammed. Twenty models stood on a platform in Gurung’s elegant-looking cocktail dresses, boxy cashmere jackets, and silk faille tuxedos. His muse is clearly Saint Laurent. But alright: Gurung, a native of Nepal, keeps the attitude young and he knows about things like proportion and finishing. One of the top looks was a loose, tiered halter dress in silk chiffon embroidered all over in black beads. The shapely halter neck of the dress played against the open back.

Gurung, who spent five years at the Bill Blass fashion house before then-parent company NexCen Brands Inc. shut down, says he is not going after Blass customers. According to The Wall Street Journal, he defines his collection as:

"There’s not a contemporary feel to it—these are investment pieces: beautiful cashmere coats, amazingly well-made dresses that are going to last you forever,” Mr. Gurung says. Retail prices for blouses will start at $400 and dresses will retail for $900 to $4,000, he says, adding, “I’m going after the lady who wants to look beautiful and wear her clothes rather than have her clothes wearing her."

POVERTY: Indian slum coverage, now more concrete

Social workers in India’s slums have their own hopes related to Slumdog Millionaire: more international media, many more eyeballs, some criticism and ultimately, governmental action.

Interestingly, I think in the last few months the patronizing ‘poorism’ stories have given way to a more concrete approach to the foreign coverage. Here are a couple examples.

In "Slum economy offers hope in Delhi," The Age's Matt Wade reports how small manufacturers in these slums are a part of India’s "informal economy" which, among others, have helped India maintain a 7% growth in the current economic situation.

Deep in one of Delhi's packed slums, Kalimuddin runs a jeans factory the size of a bedroom.

Despite the space constraints, his 10 employees work 12 to 16 hours a day and churn out 6000 pairs of jeans a month. After the jeans are dyed by another mini-manufacturer nearby, Kalimuddin sells his products at a wholesale garment market nearby. Kalimuddin's jeans are then distributed to clothing bazaars across northern India.

Locals say there are about 1000 tiny garment factories within a kilometre of Kalimuddin's outfit at Seelampur, on Delhi's eastern outskirts.

According to the article, Naeem, a 22-year-old machinist who works for Kalimuddin, is able to send up to 5000 rupees ($A156) a month to his family.

India's huge internal market has helped shield workers such as Naeem from the global economic slump.

R. Venkatesan from the National Council of Applied Economic Research says small manufacturers producing for domestic consumption could escape the economic crisis.

"I don't think this sector should see a slump," he said.

CRIME: South Asians on the Madoff client list

SAJA has been asked if there are any South Asian victims of Bernard Madoff. We haven't come across any yet, but the release of the 162-page client list yesterday, here's our chance to find out. Please help us by going through the list - scanning it name by name, or using the search function - and by posting what you find (page numbers, too) in the comments section below, or via e-mail to saja[at]columbia.edu. Consider it an exercise in group/citizen journalism.

I'd like to point out that there is something intrinsically desi about this list: It is alphabetized by FIRST name. Just like phone books in some cities in the subcontinent used to be (and might still be).

UPDATE: The project paid off within hours - three South Asian names in the comments section (the first two names appeared within an hour). Thank  you, SAJAforum readers! Keep looking, folks. And, journos/bloggers, if you quote from here, please credit SAJAforum.

Bernie Madoff's Clients: The List

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Wills an Trusts Businessd & Legal culture job


NEW: See MadoffSearch.com, "the first and only Bernard Madoff Search Engine, with information
on all investors at individual and institutional levels."

On the SAJA E-mail Discussion List, John Laxmi posted this comment:

From: John Laxmi <johnlaxmisajadisc[at]gmail.com>

Who asked this question and why? And, why would anyone spend the time to review the list - except for prurient reasons - and why answer this question without knowing the reason for the question? Is it a class-action lawyer
trying to assemble a list of potential clients?  Even if the names have been made public, should we be exposing these folks to even more publicity?

Are there married couples in the list? Any heterosexuals in the List? People of Mongolian descent?  Illegal Martians?  Our curiosities know no bounds.

John

       

ANIMALS: Elephants to remain at the LA Zoo

Not sure there are going to be Asian elephants here, but I couldn't resist noting this item that flashed across my e-mail as breaking news:

Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:06:12 -0500
From: Los Angeles Times <news@e-mail.latimes.com>
Subject: Breaking: Council votes to keep elephants at L.A. Zoo

Los Angeles Times | January 28, 2009 | 1:01 p.m. PT

Elephants will remain at the Los Angeles Zoo, the City Council decided today.

Members voted 11 to 4 to complete construction of the six-acre, $42-million Pachyderm Forest, which opponents had said is too small and too expensive.

Zoo supporters screamed with delight after the vote. The vote marks a turnaround for the Council, which last year had signaled it was ready to kill the project.

More soon at: http://link.latimes.com/r/VKC7L0/1V9BO/NURQ9J/G3WJ/3O26D1/HK/t

Earlier elephants on SAJAforum:

• Name that elephant!
• Update on naming that elephant
• Yet another update on naming that elephant
• A tale of two Rajas - a tiger and an elephant
  
• Elephant-shaped Ganesh growth cured my ills, Queens man says
• BOOKS: The Elephant, The Tiger and The Cellphone - Shashi Tharoor's new book
  

BOOKS: Ali Velshi's "Gimme My Money Back"

Listen to a SAJA webcast with Ali Velshi above or at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/01/23/Ali-Velshi-CNN-biz-correspondent. Co-hosts: Meena Thiruvengadam (meenakthiru[at]gmail), Washington-based Dow Jones reporter covering the financial crisis and Sree Sreenivasan, (sree[at]sree.net), SAJA co-founder and Columbia Journalism School professor.

Ali Velshi, chief business correspondent of CNN and one of the most visible commentators on the economic crisis, has a new book out. And its title reflects what a lot of people are thinking about these days: "Gimme My Money Back Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis."

Velshi says: "I'll show you how to map out an investment strategy that's right for your individual situation: your age, your income level, your family status, your wants and needs.  And I'll show you how to modify your investment plan as your needs evolve over time."

Here are the testimonials about the book:

"Despite the topic, this book is upbeat and very practical. Velshi does a great job of explaining complex financial scenarios in terms even the most inexperienced can comprehend. The 'What Did We Learn?' and 'Coming Up' chapter endings are a great asset." — John Eckberg, Cincinnati Enquirer Business Reporter and Author, The Success Effect

“This book is essential reading for anyone who takes even a passing interest in their financial affairs. A must read.” — Stephen Leeb, Editor, The Complete Investor, Author The Oil Factor

"When I hosted The Money Gang with Ali on CNNfn, we had a very simple test to decide whether a segment would work on the show. It had to be 'actionable.' Ali keeps that concept in mind on every page of his book. Without talking down to the reader, he manages to explain aspects of the financial crisis that just aren't easily simplified. He's made the content easy to understand and it's easy to put his advice to work for you." — Pat Kiernan, Anchor, NY1

Book description: