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What implications the Obama Campaign has for India is a very critical point for our country. What are the points at which Obama’s policies will diverge from that of the Bush administration and how are they significant for India? The Democratic presidential candidate’s recent remark on outsourcing has made the IT industry prick its ears. Obama’s views on terrorism and the nuclear deal will also have repercussions on India. In the light of this situation how will Obama address India?

On August 28th in his acceptance speech the Democratic presidential candidate pledged to halt tax sops to companies that ship jobs outside the US. If Obama goes through with this promise it means bleak days ahead for India’s IT industry as India’s software and services exports stood at about $40 billion during the financial year 2008, a growth of 29%, with US as its largest market. But industry leaders reacted with caution and some chose to downplay the remark as “election rhetoric”. The Indian IT industry believes that globalization of services is “irreversible” and outsourcing enables the US to remain competitive. Industry leaders do not believe that drastic changes will take place.

The nuclear deal is dangerously hanging on a tether where US is concerned. Experts fear that Obama will want India to adhere to the non-proliferation agenda. Former National Security Council Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs, Bruce Riedel, who is among Obama’s advisers said “The Democrats are much more likely to want to revisit the nuclear proliferation implications [of the nuclear deal]. That would complicate the relationship with New Delhi.” At the same time Obama and the Democratic Party strongly support a stringent climate regime to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. Since civilian nuclear energy is largely seen as a clean alternative to fossil fuels, the stress on the Kyoto Protocol may be contradictory to the non-proliferation agenda. The final implications are contingent to the president’s priorities.

Obama’s policies on terrorism are of course stringently condemnatory. In fact according to Riedel “Obama is determined to put a lot more resources into the war in Afghanistan - and it’s overlapped into Pakistan - than either a McCain presidency would or the Bush administration did.” On one hand this spells good news for India as it brings Pakistan and Afghanistan under closer scrutiny than has been the case till now. But at the same time it could also lead to greater infiltration and turbulence on the border and especially in J&K as terrorist camps flee or relocate from Pakistan.

The overall Indo-US relationship is likely to be on good terms as US recognizes India’s growing importance. As president he is likely to focus as much on India as Bush did or Clinton did before him. On the 62nd Independence Day of India Obama congratulated India, emphasizing that the two countries should enjoy “strong relations” to protect their people from 21st century threats. Thus the terms on which Obama will address India are likely to remain friendly and approachable.

Shilpi Ganguly is a blogger who frequently writes on various topics. Find more of her articles on the upcoming US elections.

Lightning II is a stealth fighter designed as a multi-role military aircraft. It presumes roles of close air support, tactical bombing, and air superiority. It has been designed to have three variants - conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL), short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL), and a carrier variant. As a product of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, its development is mostly funded by the US and the UK, while other allied governments provide additional funds. It is being designed by Lockheed Martin and had its first flight in late 2006. It is set to be formally introduced by 2011.

One of its variants, the F-35b, has generated significant buzz as it is being compared to the famed Harrier. The F-35b is designed to have the same capability as that of the Harrier, which is the short takeoff and vertical landing. Just like the Harrier, guns will be installed in a ventral pod. As it is the riskiest by far, vertical flight has always been a concept that has drawn attention to such aircrafts.

The Harrier Jump Jet was famous for being the first to achieve vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL), which was an innovation at the time. This meant that long runways were unnecessary to fly it properly. Its different variations have proven to be valuable in combat and have served in the Falklands War and Afghanistan, amongst others. It is used by several different countries, including America, the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, India, Italy, and many others.

The F-35b is intended to replace the later versions of the Harrier, which is currently used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom as their primary ground attack fighter. The F-35b is said to be more efficient in both design and application. With international support, it is said to be one of the most significant developments of military aircraft technology in recent years.

The Harrier was a revolution in the history of flight, but it did have its repercussions. It was quite difficult to fly, as pilots trained to fly Harriers have said that it is the most difficult plane to fly and control. Its hover time can never compare to that of helicopters as it is limited and can be weakened when put under certain conditions. This has led to numerous pilot deaths more due to mechanical failures than getting shot down in combat. Also, maintenance was also quite expensive due to its complicated system. The F-35b is being developed to perform the same tasks that the Harrier better without all the hassles and difficulties presented by the jump jet.

With international support and financial backing, a lot of countries are expecting to utilize the results of the JSF program for their own air forces. While the United States is the primary benefactor and customer, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Norway and Denmark have contributed US$4.375 billion for development costs. While most of these countries are looking to acquire the fighter planes, the UK specifically has particular interest in acquiring Lockheed Martin F-35b’s to replace their Harrier Jump Jets, which are still in service up to this day.

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“I am not working for world peace, I am working for individual peace all over the world.” from “Your loved Ones, Your Self”, by Wil Langford

Who the heck doesn’t want peace? Well, maybe a couple of international arms dealers, a few neo-cons and that kid that used to pull your hair in third grade. But ask almost anyone else if peace is a good thing, and they’ll say it is. So why don’t we have peace?

We don’t have it in the world. What with Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinians, there ain’t no peace nowhere, no-time in the Mid-East. Africa is up in arms (thanks largely to the world’s biggest arms dealer, the USA, by the way). Russia is rattling its sabers at Europe, because America’s “just protecting its borders” from North Korea and Iran by planning to put missiles in Eastern Europe. We’re still fighting in Afghanistan and now our gunships are shelling Somalia in an attempt to kill an Al Qaeda warlord that we think is there. Maybe.

For a change of pace from war, there are riots in Germany at the G-8 Summit, where a few malcontents think that the 8 wealthiest countries in the world shouldn’t be shaping the future for the poorest countries. What do they want? Socialism? Hey, let those other countries pull themselves up by their bootstraps. No bootstraps, you say? Well, we’ll sell them some and in return we’ll just take all their resources, especially the oil and minerals.

Even in that bastion of peace and all that’s good and patriotic, the US, all is not peaceful. The crime rate is rising and more and more people aren’t getting a peaceful night’s sleep, because they can’t pay their mortgage. Well, they can pay their mortgage. It’s just that they can’t pay their mortgage, health insurance, car payments, their taxes, childcare, cable bill, Netflix bill, credit card bills, and save for retirement and their kid’s college fund on the three jobs they’re working. You see them with their calculators out and papers spread all over the table at Starbucks, trying desperately to figure out where to cut corners, as they sip their fourth macho-latte with extra caffeine.

Even my life, which takes place in a part of the country where an international incident is more likely to involve smuggling cigarettes or poaching blueberries than shooting people, is not peaceful at the moment. I am not by nature a worrier. If there’s a problem, I think about it and decide if I can do anything about it. If I can, I do it. If I can’t, I leave it to resolve itself and get on with my life as best I can. Almost always, that works. Once in a while, it doesn’t.

I’m having a really hard time letting the Iraq War resolve itself. It’s not that I haven’t tried to help that along. I’ve been active in the peace movement since the 60’s, although lately only in the sense that I send letters and emails, call my congress critters and sometimes demonstrate against the war. I’m not on a par with Cindy Sheehan or some of my friends who are Friends and are spending most of their time working to end the war. But I’ve tried. I’ve been trying for over four years now and I’m weary and I’m depressed and I’m disheartened.

My brother, Wil, who is my spiritual advisor (not easy when your sister is an atheist, but he does a heck of a job), says that this is the Peace Century. On his blog, Wil’s Blog, he writes about how he’s received a message from his Loved Ones - who are really part of his Higher Consciousness - that this century will be a century of peace, but maybe not because good things happen to bring it about. Deep woo, I know, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he’s right.

You don’t have to be a spiritualist or psychic to see that this world is headed for trouble. The people of the world, and I include myself in some of this, for the most part, aren’t focused on peace. They’re focused on getting more stuff, having more fun, proving how tough and “out there” and edgy they are by flipping off people in traffic. They don’t know what’s going on in Washington, because they’re too busy reading about Paris. Hilton, that is.

So many people know the point spread for all the games and the price of every item on the menu of the chains where they (and I) eat out way too often, but the fact that millions of people are living sub-standard lives in Asia, Africa, Mexico and here in the US, is news to them. So is the fact that millions of kids die everyday because their parents can’t afford simple things like $3 shots for diarrhea.

And let’s not forget that, according to Fearless Leader and his cronies, this is a Christian nation, and Christ, as even atheists know, was the Prince of Peace. (If you don’t think this is a Christian nation, just look at any night’s TV lineup. From WWE Smackdown wrestling to Faux News to the Sopranos, it’s definitely WJWW - What Jesus Would Watch - don’t you think?) That’s what a good portion of the G-8 world is focused on every night. Call me crazy, but I just can’t see O’Reilly, Malkin and Coulter as harbingers of peace.

Then there are people like me who couldn’t find anything to watch even when we had over 200 Dish channels, so the three we have now sure aren’t gonna make it. So do I spend my time changing the world instead? Nope. When I’m not reading, mostly fiction, I’m wasting way too much time playing games, reading blogs and blogging. Somehow, when I’m doing that, I manage to forget about the rest of the world and what I can do to make it better. It’s a knack.

So, that’s why I’m weary, disheartened and depressed about the state of peace in the world. I know there are a lot of good people working for peace. I know many of them personally. But what scares me is that some of them are getting a little raggedy around the edges and frazzled at the seams. We’ve been fighting this fight (pardon the choice of words) since we were teenagers, some of us.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus said he came in peace and look what happened to him. Before him and after him, there were many, many other people who came in peace and went out in flames or on a cross or under a pile of stones thrown by people who weren’t focused on peace. Probably just wanted to get back to their bread and circuses.

I could use a little reassurance here, so if you have something optimistic to say about the peace movement or the state of the world, please comment and make my day. It seems to me that if a dyed in the wool atheist like me, and a guy who sees beings of light in clouds, like my brother, can manage to be best friends for over 50 years, then the rest of the world should be able to get along. Right? I hope so. Peace.

Lill Hawkins lives in Maine and writes about family life, home education and being a WAHM at http://hawkhillacres.blogspot.com . Get the News From Hawkhill Acres: A mostly humorous look at home schooling, writing and being a WAHM, whose mantra is “I’m a willow; I can bend.”

Recession is a decline in a country’s gross domestic product (in plain speak the value of all goods and services produced and consumed) for two or more successive quarters in a year. By the time, it can be conclusively said that there is a recession, it probably has already come and gone. In the last four decades this cycle is getting smaller and smaller, due to aggressive intervention by the Federal Reserve.

Let us look at some of the main reasons this time around. Over the last several years, cheap money policy has lead to expansion in demand for major industries such as automobiles. In the last two decades most families have moved from a single car ownership to multiple car ownership and demand probably is peaking. This hurts automotive industry.

Imports are getting cheaper and cheaper. China exports $7B worth toys, most of which comes in to the US. This results in loss of jobs in the economy. The theory is that cheaper imports will kick start demand in the economy that will create other jobs. In the short term this is true. In the longer term however, the economy may have to readjust.

Probably the greatest impact is through a bad mood that results in a gloomy outlook. The media and financial heavyweights are trying their hardest to persuade that the economy is in trouble. A gloomy outlook can serve as a self fulfilling prophecy , as businesses and individuals cut back on investments as they believe that tomorrow may not be as rosy as yesterday. There are several contributories for this. Increasing price for gas at the pumps, blue chips moving downwards (major reason being write-offs due to the subprime crisis), the war in Iraq and Afghanistan not going too well and the constant barrage by the media.

I personally think WalMart sales reports serves as a good barometer of consumption in the US economy and will be interesting to watch over the next several months.

There are three things that one can do to minimize the ill effects -

1. Become more valuable to your employer. The more valuable you are, the less chances that you might be asked to go when things are not going good.

2. Cut credit card spend and reduce interest cost

3. Take advice from a financial professional to adjust a variable rate mortgage that could hurt if interest rates go north.

Easwar has an extensive knowledge of issues related to currency,exchange,taxes,cost savings ideas and loves to write about it. For additional resources please visit http://www.improveprofitsnow.blogspot.com Send an email to costreduction@aweber.com to get your copy of “16 quick wins to improve your bottom line in 90 days”