W. P. Carey School to graduate record number of students again

 

May 06, 2011

For the second year in a row, a record number of students are graduating from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in the spring. More than 2,200 students are eligible to receive degrees this month, and many will take the stage to receive their diplomas on May 12 and 13.

“We’re proud to be educating more and more students at the school, while still maintaining the high standards of excellence consistently recognized with Top 30 rankings for our MBA and undergraduate programs,” says W. P. Carey School of Business Dean Robert Mittelstaedt. “Year after year, our faculty and staff members do a tremendous job of changing lives through education.”

Among the students participating in commencement ceremonies in Tempe are 23 professionals flying in from China, from the school’s executive MBA program in Shanghai. More than 100 students will graduate from the Shanghai program this month. The program, currently ranked No. 28 in the world by the Financial Times, educates senior-level executives and government officials in charge of policy-making that can influence and improve the lives of millions of people in China.

This year’s graduate-level convocation in Arizona will be open to a total of about 1,000 students, including about 700 MBA candidates. The event will take place Friday, May 13 at 5 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Arena on ASU’s Tempe campus. The guest speaker will be William E. Keitel, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Qualcomm Inc., one of the world’s leading providers of wireless technology and services. Keitel is a W. P. Carey MBA grad and will receive a Distinguished Achievement Award.

More than 1,200 students are eligible to graduate at the undergraduate convocation Thursday, May 12 at 8 a.m., also at the Wells Fargo Arena. The featured speaker will be Roger Wittlin, an ASU alum with about 25 years of capital markets experience. He is managing director of Silver Lake Financial and will also receive a Distinguished Achievement Award.

The spring 2011 Turken Family Outstanding Graduating Senior Award goes to accounting major Isaiah McCoy. He was named a McCord Scholar, has a 4.0 grade point average, and interned at Deloitte, where he will have a full-time job after he attends and completes the Master of Taxation program at the W. P. Carey School of Business. McCoy helped facilitate Camp Carey and WPC 101 (introductory programs) for other students at the school. He also helped to reestablish ASU’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a business fraternity that connects students to professional accounting firms. He also helped organize a career awareness program for minority high school students that is sponsored by the School of Accountancy, in conjunction with the National Association of Black Accountants. More than 70 percent of the participants wind up attending college and majoring in a business field. McCoy also volunteers at a local church and recreation center and helped design an inventory management database for a local food bank.

about the same size as Vancouver Island

I’d been told “if you want to see all of China but don’t have enough time, Taiwan is a great alternative.” Settled by talented, creative and industrious Chinese who rejected communism under Mao Tse Tsung in 1945 and fled to what was then called Formosa, the little island (about the same size as Vancouver Island) has evolved into a technological powerhouse. However, it’s really the traditions of art, food and old-fashioned good manners that reveal the real Taiwan.
Ilha Formosa, which means Beautiful Island, was the name that Portuguese sailors gave to Taiwan when they arrived in 1517. Only 394 km long and 144 km wide, I discovered that — outside of cosmopolitan Taipei and the crowded west coast cities — the island boasts magnificent scenery ranging from lush rice paddies to mountain ranges flourishing with flora and fauna, to rugged coastlines and several unique offshore islands.
A complete circumnavigation of the island can easily be done in a week, starting with the modern capital. Taipei 101, the world’s tallest office tower, shows off the shiny steel and glass side of the city. The best of Chinese art can be found in Taipei’s huge National Museum, where 3,000 years of Chinese history evolve before your eyes. (The Nationalists took it with them for “safekeeping” when they fled the mainland.) Across town the Chiang Kai-shek Museum tells the story of more recent Taiwan in several glittering pavilions, all free. Colourful night markets and armies of scooters crowd the city’s busy streets.
I jumped on the bullet train and flashed south at 300 kph, stopping off for some side tours to visit old Hakka Chinese villages such as Beipu and Lugang. Under no circumstances should anyone miss the architectural gem of Nan Yuan in Hsinchu County, at 88-hectares the largest private Chinese garden in the world. Built in 1985 for private use, the garden was only opened to the public in 2008. Imagine a quiet life of meditation, conversation, poetry, painting, calligraphy and music, all hidden within a walled garden filled with rocks, water, trees, plants, sculptures and temples. In ancient times only the elite could dream of such a life, and to most people today such a vision is no more than pictures in a book or a Hollywood movie. In Nan Yuan the dream becomes a reality.
I headed further south down to Miaoli County where 47,759 lanterns of many shapes and sizes were on display at the 2011 Miaoli Lantern Festival, breaking the Guinness World Record. I visited with a man known only as the Old Lantern Master at his shop where, at 89, he still paints his traditional paper lanterns by hand in the style of his ancestors.
Few westerners seem to know that tropical Taiwan is mostly mountainous with the highest peaks in all of Asia. Hiking and biking trails criss-cross the island.
A paved cycling trail is being built to circumnavigate the entire island, and bike rentals are available everywhere. Surfing is apparently popular, in the (very) hot summer season, which is also typhoon time. Skip the blistering heat and go in spring or fall.
So far off the beaten track is remote Kinmen Island that even most Taiwanese have never visited it. The big surprise is that this tiny island is just a half kilometre off the mainland Chinese coast, so close that the two Chinas have fought several wars over control of its strategic location. In 1959 Mao’s forces bombarded Kinmen endlessly, forcing the fearful inhabitants to dig shelters and tunnels for survival. Today, with relationships between the two Chinas improving, several kilometres of tunnels have been opened as tourist attractions. A strange experience indeed is stumbling through these tunnels in the dark while listening to air raid sirens and simulated bombardments. I followed with a visit to Master Wu’s nearby knife factory where the renowned artist keeps busy turning a mountain of old artillery shells into expensive stainless steel knives and swords, a souvenir with a story to tell.
Heading back north up the rocky eastern coast, I ventured into territory few tourists ever visit. Surprising to me was the discovery that 14 aboriginal communities are alive and thriving in Taiwan. Bunun Village provides a glimpse of the traditions and lifestyles of this ancient aboriginal tribe. The Bunun lived in the mountainous regions of central Taiwan since their arrival several millenniums ago (from Indonesia or Polynesia) until the coming of Christian missionaries a century ago. The Bunun were known to be fierce warriors and headhunters. Today, they are better known for singing and dancing, with weekend shows attracting large crowds.
The entire east coast of Taiwan in inundated by hot springs. The Taiwanese love to bask in indoor and outdoor hot pools, but for me perhaps the strangest sensation of any of my trips in the world was the hot springs where a special breed of fish has been raised and trained to suck on your toes. Yes, totally true. The tiny piranha-type fish nibble dead skin off your feet when you stick your feet into their hot pool, truly an electrifying feeling. I jumped two feet in the air and lasted only a few minutes before fleeing in front of laughing villagers.
The National Centre for Traditional Arts in the northeast’s Yilan County is a 24-hectare park that should never be missed. Although the complex looked more like an expensive shopping mall than art gallery, I was wowed by the craftsmanship evident in the dizzying array oleather workrk, Chinese calligraphy, glassware, pottery, woodwork, puppets, and Chinese lanterns. This is pure shopping heaven for those determined to find “the real deal” and not replicas. Everything from food to hotels here, and all over Taiwan, is reasonably priced.
No visit to the east coast is complete without a tour of Taroko National Park, Taiwan’s own Grand Canyon, famous for its 19-km gorge through deep mountains, with a rushing white-water river working its way through sheer cliffs and bizarre marble formations. The entire northeast coastline is a photographer’s delight with high jagged cliffs tumbling down to rocky beaches.
Back in Taipei, those looking for the “real Taiwan” should take a stroll through the emerging Kang-Qing-Long District, a community of cutting-edge artists, writers and intellectuals operating tea houses, record stores, book and antique shops, all of who share a unique business model: “Earning life rather than earning money.” Here you’ll find owners and staff keen to discuss Taoist philosophy while selling you a record from the hippest underground bands in Asia or tea grown from the most select hillsides in the countryside.
Perhaps the biggest surprise from a visit to this “jewel of the Pacific” is not the art or landscapes, but the polite people and culture of modesty. In an increasingly globalized and jaded world where so many travellers wear T-shirts, old jeans and a baseball cap, the Taiwanese are radically different. Old and young, rich or peasant farmer, all Taiwanese seem to be well dressed, very polite and outgoing. Outside one museum I even read a notice that read: “No admittance for slovenly dress.” Now that’s certainly a sign you sure won’t see in Disneyland.
The only words you need to know are “née how? (“how are you?) and “shey shey!” (thank you) which roll off the tongue at every transaction. Thailand may be known as the Land of Smiles but surely that title should go to Taiwan. A journey to this exotic land swings back and forth between old and new, hip and traditional, keeping you surprised all the time. One thing is a constant, though, and it’s that the Taiwanese are classy people. Be sure to bring an entire box of business cards, because everyone will ask you for one as a memento of meeting you. Chances are you’ll make more friends from a trip to Taiwan than in a lifetime of other journeys.

Dr Ashish Patil - Most Number of Kidney Stone Removal World Record set by Indian Doctor

Most Number of Kidney Stone Removal from Single Patient World Record set by Indian Doctor.

In what can only be termed as a medical marvel, Dr Ashish Rawandale-Patil, a urologist from Dhule, Maharashtra, gained a place in 'Guinness Book of World Records' on Oct 20 for removing a record number of 172,155 kidney stones from a single kidney.

The world record feat was carried out on 8 December last year at the Institute of Urology at Dhule, when Dr. Ashish performed the Herculean task of removing over a lakh stones from a single kidney of his patient, Dhanraj Wadile.

Dr Patil stated, “The Guinness team took time to verify world-wide records. The earlier record holder, a doctor
from Nashik, had removed 14,098 kidney stones.”

He added, "The certificate from the Guinness Records officials only came 10 days ago so we waited this long to make the announcement. We are very excited.”

Wadile suffering from rare birth defect
Wadile, 45, had been enduring acute pain for over six months and had stopped eating and going to work. He had consulted numerous doctors and was also taking medicines
for the pain before he approached Dr. Ashish.

A thorough examination revealed that Wadile was suffering from the rare birth defect called Pelvi-Ureteric Junction obstruction where his kidney was abnormally positioned in the pelvic and had an obstruction.

In addition, the clinical investigations revealed the patient
had a large number renal stones.

After the patient was cleared as medically fit, the doctors worked out the details of the surgical procedure to be performed.

A 4-hour complex operation
The doctors used both open surgery and flexible endoscopy in the complex four-hour operation. The team of medical experts working on Wadile was amazed at the number of stones that were removed from the patient.

Wadile felt relieved immediately after surgery. The stones removed comprised of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate and varied in size from one millimetre to 2.5 cms.

Dr Patil stated, “The surgery was complicated due to the number of kidney stones. It was difficult to remove so many stones from his kidney. These stones were anywhere between the size of 1mm to 2.5cm.

“The possibility of leaving some stones behind was one of the risks as it could have jeopardized the surgery. Bigger stones had to be tackled individually. We also did a plastic surgery to widen the opening of the kidney.”

Counting the stones another mammoth task
Following the surgery, the doctors faced another mammoth task of counting the stones. For this purpose they employed a diamond worker who counts and verifies diamonds on a regular basis to team up with one of the doctors.

The counting process of the stones took nearly three daily for well over a month to be completed.

Dr Patil stated, "I then wrote to the Guinness Book of World Records and they asked me to send the stones and related documents. They verified it and wrote back to me in October telling me that I have made a record".

He added "This is an important milestone for me and my institute. It is the combined effort of my team that could take this small town to an international level.”

Thursday, October 21, 2010 Radio City 91.1FM - India’s first leading FM radio enter the Limca Book of record

Radio City 91.1FM, India’s first and leading FM radio brand is attempting to enter Limca Book of records with “Call me Dil” - the latest track from Saregama’s Jhoota Hi Sahi. The music of the film has got rave reviews and on listeners demand Radio City 91.1 FM aired the song “Call me Dil” 360 times in a day across 15 stations nationally

Commenting on the attempt, Apurv Nagpal, MD, Saregama India Ltd, says “We are extremely happy with this development. We are attempting to enter the Limca Book of Records. Radio City 91.1 FM network had selected the song after it got numerous requests from the listeners to air the song. This is the first time a bollywood film track has been repeated on radio the same is a record by itself. In fact a team from Limca Book of Records will be monitoring the air play at Radio City 91.1 FM.

The music of this film has been composed by none other than Academy Award Winner A R Rahman. Apart from Call me Dil, the other sound tracks have also been appreciated by the audiences like Cry Cry and Mayaa Yashoda.

Ashit Kukian, COO and President Ad Sales, Radio City 91.1 FM commented “Radio City 91.1 FM has always set benchmarks in innovation that are appealing to the listeners. The high song rotation is an attempt to give listeners the song that is fresh and is gaining affinity. We are sure that the listeners would be more than pleased to hear their current favorite on Radio City 91.1 FM. We are glad to be a part of the attempt to set a record through this innovation”.

The 15 cities that Radio City that aired the track across India are Mumbai,Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Sholapur, Nagpur, Pune, Jalagaon, Ahmednagar, Sangli, Nanded & Akola.

Microsoft Windows 7 - Microsoft Dominoes enter in to Limca Book of Records 2011

The fall of a chip sets off a cascading effect. As the chips lined up in formations fall, a wave is created and vibrant colour pattern emerges. It was not a mean task at Microsoft's Hyderabad Centre. The falling chips made a dazzling display of the logo of Windows 7, the operating system made available on October 22 last year.

This was the way a team of 22 Microsoft employees celebrated the first anniversary of the general availability of Windows 7 and the effort enabled Microsoft storm into the Limca Book of Records for the first ever dominoes display of its kind in India. The Microsoft Dominoes effect required 7,000 wooden dominoes, each weighting 12 gm and placed barely 0.2 inches apart sidewise and 0.5 inches lengthwise to create the logo.

“Placing each domino took an average of three seconds a person. We were extremely tense and knew that a small mistake would cost us 20-30 minutes of effort. To our relief, the event went off really well, with over 1,000 employees witnessing the chips fall from all around the atrium floors and create a dazzling display of the Windows 7 logo. It was seamless!” said team member Tanvi Ritwik.

The idea of organising a domino display was generated in a brainstorming session of Microsoft employees of Windows & Windows Live Group at Microsoft India Development Center that had worked on some key features of the Operating System. The team, led by Archis Gore, spent nearly 1056 hours (from planning to the culmination of the event). The effort required the same precision engineering and team work that product development does.

A Microsoft release quoted Limca Book of Records Editor Vijaya Ghose as saying: “This is the first ever display of dominoes in India and is a symbolisation of perfect coordination and exceptional synergy among team members.

Thursday, October 28, 2010 Jhootha Hi Sahi - Indian Bollywood Movies in Limca Book of Records

India’s premium music company and film production house Saregama India Ltd is attempting to enter their film Jhootha Hi Sahi in the Limca Book of Records. The attempt is for one of the songs in the film ‘Call Me Dil’, which has received tremendous appreciation from the listeners, was played 360 times on 91.1 fm Radio City across 15 cities nationally. The film is directed by Abbas Tyrewala starring John Abraham, Pakhi, Raghu, Mansi Scott, Prashant Chawla and Omar.

Commenting on the attempt, Apurv Nagpal, MD, Saregama India Ltd, says “We are extremely happy with this development. We are attempting to enter the Limca Book of Records. The Radio City network had selected the song after it got numerous requests from the listeners to air the song. This is the first time a bollywood film track has been repeated on radio the same is a record by itself.  In fact a team from Limca Book of Records will be monitoring the air play at Radio City.

The song ‘Call Me Dil’ has been a rage with the youth. Not only this particular song but in totality the music of Jhootha Hi Sahi is extremely fresh and melodious. The music has got great reviews and tops the list of all chart busters.

Says  Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM “Radio City has set benchmarks in innovation. This film song promotion is a unique offering to cater to the listeners choice of popular music. We believe that this offering would now change the way new film music is promoted on the medium.”

Comedian Alex - Non Stop Magic Show set World Record by Alex

Comedian Alex, who is also a well-known magician, was honored with the Chevalier Award recently in Abu Dhabi.

His name features in the Guinness Book of World Records and Limca Book of Records for conducting a magic show continuously for 24 hours. This has earned him the prestigious Chevalier Award.

Those who were present at this function include the United Arab Emirates Tamil Sangam President Ravi Maran, and Justice A Kulasekaran.

Alex forayed into the film industry with Rajinikanth’s Valli and later went on to star in several films.