Tips to become a software engineer

Bachelor degree in software engineering is still in high demand, and software engineers command two of the top three average salary offers from employers among all majors. Opportunities for software engineers are high as the five of the top ten fastest growing jobs are in the computing-related fields.
Plan for getting a degree in computer engineering. Eventhough degree is not mandatory, it is very difficult for entry level software engineers to obtain a position without a four year degree. Having a degree in software engineering adds weightage to your carrer, and gives edge to face competition from other software engineers.
Study hard from the high school stage, and concentrate more on math subject as the field is based upon logic and mathematical calculations. You need to have pass 10+2 exam in science with mathematics as one of the subjects, and also need to secure good marks in entrance test to get admission into the engineering degree. Look to get specialized in subjects which will helps you to get a job in your chosen category. Software engineering takes a lot of study in different fields, such as programming, operating systems, data management and math.
While you are studying in the college, find an IT company that allows interns to gain real world experience on the inner workings of a company. Most campuses allow interns to work on their systems in a limited capacity. It will helps to gain valuable experience, and is beneficial for your personal growth as well as an addition to your resume. Develop contacts with software engineers, and if possible try to develop some software projects under their guidance. Work on your own side projects.Continue your education to stay competitive in the market place. Buy books about new technologies, take free online courses, and attend seminars and conferences.
Create your resume. Your resume should have your detailed project work which you have done as part of your degree, educational background, other certificates and accomplishments that are related to the IT industry if any. Apply for the job in IT companies. Face the prescribed test, and interview. Make it success and get a software engineering job. Remember, process of test, and interview is different from company to company.

Impact of FDI in Economic Growth of China

In 1978, China started an economic reform. The promotion of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow is an important part of the economic reform process. After more than 30 years of economic reform, China has become one of the most important destinations for FDI.

In recent years, foreign-invested firms have become a very important part of the Chinese economy. Foreign capital has played a largely positive role in China’s economic development during the reform.

· It can generate more benefits than just helps solve the capital shortage problem.

· FDI may provide better access to technologies for the local economy.

· It can also lead to indirect productivity gains through spillovers. For instance, with the entry of multinational companies, competition increases in the local market which will force existing inefficient firms to invest more in physical or human capital. Usually MNCs provide training for labor and management which makes them become available to the economy in general.
· FDI inflow benefits China’s economical growth by inducing higher.

Nation has achieved economic growth at an impressive speed. External trade is now becoming very important element of nation’s economy which is the direct impact of economic reform. Expansion of its trade with the rest of the world is the direct outcome of reform. Gradual reforms of over three decades have transformed China’s economy from a centrally planned economy dominated by the state sector to a market-oriented economy consisted of firms with various ownership form. Government has encouraged technology transfer through various forms of foreign investment in the economy.
Positive impacts

· FDI leads to a fast increase in import and export trade in China. From 1985 to 2000, the market share of China in the international trade has increased from 1.6 % to 6.1%.

· FDI has created large number of job opportunities. It increased the employment rate in China. Creation of employment opportunities both directly and indirectly has been one of the most prominent impacts of FDI on the Chinese economy.

· The productive value produced by companies supported by FDI has occupied a higher proportion in the gross value of industrial output.

· When foreign-invested companies want to choose local companies as their distributors in order to broaden market channel or when their products are purchased by local companies as semi-finished products, they will build a backward industrial chain relation

· The coming of FDI has brought about severe market competition which forces domestic companies to perform technological reform to improve productive efficiency. As a result the investment of domestic companies has been increasing.

· The research and development activities performed by the foreign-invested companies have enhanced the technological spillover effects. Domestic companies may have increased the investments in research and development activities in order to gain competitive advantages.

· Urbanization has experienced an accelerated growth pace. Between 1978 and 2000, nation’s urban population had increased from 172 to 458 million. The corresponding urban population rose from 18% to 36%.
Negative impacts

· The rapid expansion of FDI has increased the risks of international balance of payments. The capital surplus brought about by FDI could make up the deficit in a short term.

· The long-term favorable treatments to foreign capital will lead to a spillover effect on the domestic capital. It may cause the scarcity of domestic investment demand. And that will make it hard to activate the civilian investment.

· The loose supervision has caused the lost of state-owned asset and has threatened the safety of China’s economy.

· FDI has modified China’s industrial structure. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) lost their dominance in industry sector. Their share fell from 65 % in 1985 to 25 % in 1997. Major gains in industrial structure were registered by private firms. Collectively owned enterprises became the most important category of ownership in industry.

· Regional disparities have increased as the FDI has been heavily concentrated in the coastal provinces. At the end of 1998, FDI firms’ urban employment was heavily concentrated (85.76%) in the eastern region provinces, more particularly in Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Shandong, Liaoning and Zhejiang, and the municipalities of Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin. In contrast, in the central and the western regions it was only 11.15%, and 3.09% respectively. It widened the income gap between the eastern and the western regions of China.

· Multinational companies have started to pay higher salaries for their employees. It put pressure on domestic firms’ to pay high for employees to retain their staff which exerts an extra burden on their revenue.

Tips to Lose Weight

Are you too fat? Are you trying to lose your weight? Are you trying to look slim?, then you are one of the person, those who are trying hard to lose weight. Losing weight is not an easy task, and one thing you have to remember that, don’t expect miracles overnight like some fad diets promise. Your weight should be lost gradually.

Always use to eat fresh foods, and vegetables as could be possible. Avoid package and convenient foods such as fast food, and fried things which are often higher in fat content. Too much salt is one of the causes of obesity, cut down on salt. Adopt vegetarian diet as much as you can. Eat as much as your body requires not your tongue. Eating should not be your habit, make it necessity. i.e. eat only when you are hungry.

Eating by seeing television is a bad habit, which may results in your eating too much. Put the meal on a plate, sit down properly, and have a food. Develop a habit of chewing all food which is essential to add saliva to the food, as it is only in the saliva, that sugar is digested.

Drink plenty of water to wash out all your internal organs and systems. Say no to alcoholic beverages. Now a day’s most of you have a sitting job. Stand up and stretch yourself for every half an hour during working time. Avoid smoking which is bad for weight loss.

Health experts usually recommend one or half hour physical activity likes fast walking, running, or some type of exercises in the early hours of the day to stay healthy. Adding, you can also try weight-bearing exercises at least two times a week. Regular exercises will helps to burn some of the unwanted calories.

Playing during evening time is also a good idea for reducing your weight. These are all very simple tips, and you can adopt these in your lifestyle easily. Try it, and look slim.

Invest your money actively

I think simply putting your money in savings account, or fixed deposits in banks is not the good idea to create wealth. Eventhough savings account or fixed deposits are safety, they are not the best home for your money.
Savings account earns you a mere 3.5% interest rate, a level that is fixed arbitrarily. On the otherhand, fixed deposit contractually fixes the rate of return at the start date of your deposit. You cannot earn more than what you signed up for, even if interest rates in the markets were to rise.
Most of the people put their savings in banks just for 3-3.5% interest rate. Some of them put in fixed deposits. But, they failed to understand that both are highly inefficient investment options for wealth creation.
Investment in shares, and mutual funds are more beneficial compared to bank savings and fixed deposits. Every investment instrument has pros and cons. In the same way investments in shares, and mutual funds also has own risks. Because, profit or returns for your investments depends on market risks.
There is a better chance of you being able to meet your long-term financial goals through equity mutual funds. Almost every one has one or the other goals like marriage, house purchase, taking care of children's financial needs, funding their education and marriage for which they require a substantial amount of money in the future. Or, some one can be planned towards their own retirement. Past experience from all over the world has shown that only savings from salaries are not enough to fund these goals. So, for all these you may need to invest into the capital markets, subject to your risk taking capacity.
By investing in share market, and mutual funds you can take an advantage of the compounding of capital. I.e., money that creates more money, and it allows for the systematic accumulation of wealth.
More over, savings accounts and fixed deposits are highly tax inefficient. Interest you earn through these will be taxable, and you will be liable to pay tax on this income.
At the same time, by leaving your money in fixed deposits, you will loose the purchasing power of that money. If you are already wealthy then fixed deposits might be a good wealth preservation instrument.

Health insurance co-ops are good option

In looking for better ways to establish affordable healthcare for all American citizens, discussions are taking place about the development of health insurance co-ops. In these days it is becoming a hot topic in the country. In terms of healthcare reform, health insurance co-ops, which would be developed by groups as small scale businesses, could be an option for those who need health insurance. For the people those who do not like the idea of the public insurance option, it may be the good alternative.

According to a Harvard Medical School study, 45,000 Americans die due to lack of health insurance every year because they cannot get adequate care. This number is the equivalent in number of deaths to a little more than one 9/11 disaster per month, year in, year out.

Non-profit health insurance cooperative could be third alternative to the traditional private health insurance and newly proposed public health insurance. Cooperative is the good idea to provide around 47 million uninsured and struggling Americans with an alternative to the private health insurance. The co-op proposal come in large part due to some challenges in generating widespread public and political support for a public health insurance option.

Advantages

· Health insurance cooperatives are non-profit organizations, and are neither run by government nor by companies.

· They have some of the strengths of public option in that they are able to give competition for the insurance companies. Moreover, it meets some of the objections from others who do not want a government-run plan, as they are membership-run and membership-controlled, not government-controlled.

· They represent thousands of members, so they have better negotiating power with providers, keeping costs lower than individual insurance company. Additional savings come from the absence of profit pursuit and their non-taxable status.

· Co-ops are driven by health interests of members, and is not beholden to shareholders.

· As non-profit enterprises, they would not have to worry about generating returns for shareholders. They could use that freedom to reduce members' premiums or put more money into improving care. Their primary allegiance and accountability are to that membership base and customer base.

· Having low administrative costs, their big focus is on putting the dollars into health care and not into administration. Being owned by members could make them more accountable to consumers.

Usually medicine has been a mix of state, non-profit, and for-profit actors and it’s worth broadening the mix of insurance options available to ordinary people. But, co-ops are a part of healthy non-profit, private, public health care mix. They accomplish same goal as public plan, and competes with insurers. One thing we need in the system is more competition. In the sense, they are a good idea as they give competition to for-profit insurance companies.

Health insurance cooperatives can generate an independent stream of revenues. This compares favorable against a government-run public insurance option, which is dependent on taxpayer funding and the whims of government budget allocations. In this sense, co-ops offer a good competitive alternative to private health insurance companies.

Co-ops can scale in a decentralized and community-focused manner. The model can work very well in filling the gaps left by the private insurance industry. And, in this sense, co-ops can compete well on a local level. Most important thing is that co-ops are more community-focused than large insurance companies.

In co-ops people like the small community feel. It provides more personal attention. Large insurance companies and bureaucracies lose their community feel very easily. In that scale at local level co-ops can compete more effectively with the idea that they are more community-oriented and it is very easy to deal with them.

Co-ops implement a more holistic, preventive approach. System emphasizes primary care medicine and preventive care which is a major contributor, especially in the time of skyrocketing health costs.

Co-ops are more political feasible than public insurance. The public plan is too contentious to pass. While it has significant support, it also has extremely fervent opposition. Passing it would create a near revolutionary-level of outrage. Avoiding this is important, and adapting a co-op model is a good means of doing this.

In co-ops members would feel in control. There is a sense of transparency. They are cooperatively governed. Members are eligible to vote in the organization, and they have a say in how to organize care and design benefits. Members could participate in reviews of grievances and in discussion about the benefits packages. Most of the work is done by the board of trustees that has elected by members.

Cooperatives can deliver high-quality care, and could do a better job of controlling costs than some of the inflationary models. Co-op model could be a manageable and efficient system, when the question of the cost of medical care arises. It could be a good compromise.

Air Pollution is decreasing in London

With increasing urbanization and industrialization, more pollution has been added to the air by industrial, commercial and domestic sources. When these concentrated gases like Co, Co2, So2, No2, Ozone, and Pm10 exceed safe limits, we have a pollution problem.

Air pollution is increasing in many parts of the world. But in London, air pollution is decreasing over the years due to several steps taken by the government. According to available data, concentrations of six pollutants reduced between 2007 and 2008. Between 1998 and 2008 concentrations of eight pollutants have reduced.

Cause for air pollution

The substances that cause air pollution are pollutants. If they are pumped into our atmosphere and directly pollute the air are called primary pollutants. Carbon monoxide from car exhausts, sulphur dioxide from the combustion of coal is example for primary pollutants. If primary pollutants in the atmosphere undergo chemical reaction, and further cause pollution, they are secondary pollutants. Photochemical smog is an example for secondary pollutant. Air pollutants mainly occur as a result of gaseous discharges from industry and motor vehicles. There are also natural sources such as wind-blown dust and smoke from fires.

Effects of air pollution

· Inhaling So2 in excess amount would lead to cough, tightening of chest, and irritation of lungs.

· NO2 results in irritation and inflammation of lungs.

· PM10 may cause inflammation of lungs, linkage of long term exposure to coronary heart disease and lung cancer.

· Intake of carbon monoxide in excess amount would leads to prevention of normal transport of oxygen by blood, resulting in the reduction of oxygen supply to the heart.

· Ozone causes pain on deep breathing, cough, irritation and inflammation of lungs. Benzene and 1, 3-butadiene leads to cancer. Lead is responsible for linkage of exposure to impaired mental function and neurological damage in children.

· Long term exposure to air pollution can shorten our life.

· Early exposure to air pollutants can slow down development and growth of the lungs in children.

History behind air pollution in Britain

Air pollution, particularly in cities, is not a new problem. Back in the middle ages the use of coal in cities such as London was beginning to escalate. In UK the industrial revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries was based on the use of coal. Urban air pollution levels often reached very high levels due to the burning of coal in industries, as well as in homes for domestic heat.

During foggy conditions, pollution levels escalated and urban smogs (smoke and fog) were formed. These often brought cities to a halt while disrupting traffic, and may also cause deaths. Effects of air pollution on buildings and vegetation also became obvious.

In the great ‘smog disaster’ in London in 1952, nearly 4,000 people died in a few days due to the high concentrations of pollution.

Decreasing trend seen

According to London air quality network, carbon monoxide has shown a statistically significant decline in annual mean concentration. Concentrations of six pollutants from environment agency regulated industries reduced between 2007 and 2008. Between 1998 and 2008 concentrations of eight pollutants have reduced, with lead (83%) and benzene (78%) showing the greatest reductions.

According to the data, there has been a downward trend in the annual mean concentration of SO2. Since 2000 it had fallen significantly. By the spring of 2009 it had fallen by 80% since November 1996. Annual mean concentration of PM10 has decreased by nearly 26 % between November 1996 and late 2008. The concentration of NO2 has fallen since 2000, and now appears to be stabilizing. The concentration of NOx has stabilized since 2005, and is currently around 40% lower than it was in November 1996.

2009 has seen a general improvement in air quality measures compared to 2008. Significant declines would be expected for pollutants whose primary source is transport because vehicles are replaced over time with models that emit less pollution.

Government’s effort

UK Government has taken several steps to minimize air pollution over the years.

In 1995, it has passed environment Act, requiring the publication of a national air quality strategy to set standards for the regulation of the most common air pollutants. Published in 1997, strategy has set commitments for local authorities to achieve new air quality objectives throughout the UK by 2005. It is reviewed periodically. But, some forms of air pollution create global problems, such as upper atmosphere ozone depletion and global warming. These are very complex, and require international cooperative efforts to find solutions.