Fwd: Let the ambulance go!!! 108...

I was travelling through the city today, all of a sudden I heard the sound of an ambulance behind me. I was riding the bike so I quickly maneuvered to allow the ambulance to pass by. I was in a hurry so I decided to tail the ambulance since everyone would move aside and I would have a smooth journey, I couldn't be any more wrong. There were many arrogant jerks who didn't bother to move aside. I could see thought the window of the Maruti van doing a brave job of an ambulance. If you've seen an ambulance abroad, a Mariti van is a dwarf when compared. There was a women in labor with her husband by aside. The driver tries his best to clear the road for him.. honking all the way. 

I guess he finally made it to the hospital but I realized another area of improvement that we as a nation must achieve. It is simple... when we hear an ambulance, we must move aside and allow it to pass because a life (or two) may be in danger.

I have to end this simple post by appreciating the work of the 108 Emergency Service. Never before has ambulance services been so well equipped and so efficient in Goa and other states that this service is implemented.  I dont care about the controversy its going through (because of affiliations to Satyam). Because, as I write this listening to the Baywatch title song "I'll be ready... forever every and always Im always there", I can say for sure that those guys are saving lives everyday and someday, if needed, they will be there to save mine.

Moral Policing has gone too far!!!

Moral policing has gone too far this time. After being public humiliated for traveling with some girls and a muslim youth, a hindu girl was taken to the police station by a group of moral farts. The inspector in that station to them to another police station at Moodbidri, around 40 km from Mangalore. 

As a result of that humiliation to herself and her parents, the girls commits suicide. How can the people in the bus and outside, who probably seen them dragging the girl and her muslim friend being dragged, sleep at night. As for the police and the moral hacks- they have to be castrated for being the spineless worms of our society who can only feed on people who cant defend themselves.

Quit Coal Campaign-Victory in Greece

Another feather in its hat, Greenpeace has successfully convinced the Greece Govenment to halt its coal plant expansion plans. the Greek Minister of Development has stated that the government is not considering hard coal or nuclear power as part of Greece's energy future. Instead the Greek government will be rewriting its Long-Term Energy Plan to exclude coal and promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Now they are off to Indonesia where Indonesian Minister of Energy' has taken a  decision to build or expand 35 more coal-fired plants in the next 2 years - including doubling the size of the Cilacap plant. Read the whole article and support Greenpeace by clicking the link below-

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/victory_greece_quit_coal_indonesia_120209

Himachal Govt Diary says POK part of Pakistan

This story has been stirred into a controversy.The diary carries a message from governor Prabha Rao and chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, two of the top state government functionaries , who are perhaps not even aware that their signatures are part of such a glaring omission..

What every be the season behind the map on the diary, the truth is POK is a part of Pakistan. The P in POK stands for Pakistan, doesn't it? So until India goes to war to reclaim the occupied territory, I guess the territory is occupied by Pakistan. Almost all international news channels, too, show POK as a part of Pakistan.

I hope this diary incident is forgotten as a silly mistake and not dragged on in political speeches. After all the biggest mistake... our biggest mistake was to give up that part of Kashmir so easily when Pakistan first invaded it.

Be an Eye Donor Today

Eye donors donated 322 eyes to government-run hospitals in Chhattisgarh during the last one year, government functionaries said. The state have received 322 eyes in the form of eye donation during last two years and added that 160 blind persons got the vision as a result of the eye donation. That means one 160 people get to see their loved one, get to work regular jobs, watch cricket,  they even get to see the sunset.That 160 people who get to see thing that you and me take so much for granted. 

That's great news. Its very encouraging too. Blindness is one limitation that no one needs to suffer from. If everyone had to donate their eyes after they die, we would not have any blind people in our country. Its a disease that doesn't need to be.

Pledge to donate your eyes today. Do a search in google for the nearest eye bank or visit this website for more information http://www.ebai.org/html/intro.html .

We dont want Outsider Indians!!!

Over the last few months a number of Indians have been murdered in the US the last one being Rudraraju Sudheer Kumar, a mechanical engineer with Toyota Motors, who was found murdered in his flat in Atlanta Feb 3. Some newspapers and media are blaming the recession in the US and the desperation of its citizens that they resort to killing outsiders. But why are they killing Indians and not Mexicans and Cuban immigrants? Its because the jobs they occupy are largely the low end ones, whereas Indians, with their cheap and high education and with their visas find it easier to snatch lucrative jobs away from the Americans. Its was ok when the jobs were outsources, but when an outsider comes in your land and takes away the few opportunities available, anyone has a right to be pissed...

Atleast thats what we Indians believe when we have to compete against people from other states. Personally, I too resent the fact that there are fewer opportunities here in my state. Do I not want others to prosper? Of course not, everyone has a right to make a living.  I resent the fact that people from my state have to go else where to earn a living. But I reserve my greatest resentment against the pudding-headed retards who call themselves Ministers. When one starts an Industrial Estate he should first look at the level and type of qualification of those living around that area, district or state. If there are more, say computer engineers, one should focus their attention on IT and how to attract IT companies. Same goes for any other field/industry. In   Goa, there is an Industry called Verna Electronic City. When it was conceptualized, it was meant to attract electronic based companies to absorb the nearly 1500 graduate and Engineering students churned out every year by the state. The first company set up was D-Link, which is a hardware company, followed by Burbrown(medical transcription-now closed), NE-Tech and Control-Net (Now PSPL) which are Software companies. 

The problem arised when the guy who headed D-Link in Goa also became the head of Goa Chambers of Commerce, a body which sanctions the setup of all  industries in Goa. It has the power to reject any company from setting shop in Goa. Mr. D-Link prevented any other electronic hardware company from coming to Goa so he and his company. As a result the employees had no choice but to accept the Rs 1400 (aprox $40) initial monthly salary. If any employee were to protest, Mr. D-Link had the power and political influence to persuade and prevent any other company in Goa from hiring that person. I have to  mention that couple of years earlier, he did increase the employee's salary by 40-50%

Since no other industry electronic industry was allowed, a number of pharmaceutical companies have set up factories in that estate. Its no more an electronic industrial estate. There is just one pharmacy college in Goa and hence 90% of employees in those factories belong to other states.

The Govt of Goa did propose an IT park, but the politicians wanted 1or 2Cr from every company that were interested. Later it was plagued by protests from the local villagers in that area due to legal  irregularities.

The Irony is that there are very few Govt Colleges in Goa that  cater to the tourism industry which dwarfs all other industries. As a result, Goans get low end jobs and most of the higher posts are filled by outsiders.

Such a small state and so much resentment. I can only Image how much the Americans must be hating the nearly 2million Indias and other nationals working there. But are the killings justified? No.

Cool India Match Boxes

If you've ever used match sticks or at any time had a match box in your hand, chances are, you've surely marveled(or hated) at the artwork on the box. Either way, personally, I've always loved to see any design other than  chavi(key) that was too common in Goa. I wish I had collected them over the years. Anyway, have a look at the collection of a guy who has...

http://www.matt-lee.com/index.php?/photos/indian-matchboxes/

Do you need a loan?

If you are a salaried employee you must have received calls asking whether you need a personal  loan or not. They will tell you that you can get a loan in less than a week. That was before the recession. Now the same people ask you if you need a credit card. No matter what way the loan is handed to you, here are some tips and thoughts to ponder about when deciding to take a loan.

1) Do you really need the loan?

Do you really need the money. In case you plan to buy yourself something like a bike or car or electronics, ask yourself "is it really important for me to have it"

2)Is it an investment or waste?

An investment is not always a mutual fund or insurance. When I say investment, it means that you use the money to become wealthy and successful. If you work for more than 12 hours a day, a holiday is an investment since it will help you recharge. If you buy clothes or make-up that help your self-esteem and builds a reputation with others, it's an investment. Similarly, if a bike can cut your traveling time, it becomes an investment provided, of course, the time you save is utilised well. 

3) Can I afford it?

Suize Orman has a segment in her show called Can I Afford It? where callers ask if they can afford something based on their income and expenditure. Some of the things in her check-list that she goes through before she gives a verdict "approved or denied" are

• Do you have any credit card debt or other loaned
  
• Do you have enough in your retirement(IRA, Provident Fund, LIC insurance etc)? That money cannot and should not be touched under any circumstances.
  
• Do you have enough saving? She also adds

"YOU SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH CASH IN YOUR SAVING TO LAST YOU 6 MONTHS IF YOU LOOSE ALL YOUR SOURCES OF INCOME"

Before taking the loan, you should keep aside atleast 6 months worth instalments, in case of emergency.

4) Read the terms and conditions

This will require some research. If you dont have the time to do it yourself, consult a lawyer or accountant. In general, you should check out the repayment options (including the duration, interest, EMI, the date of payment every month-do you get your monthly salary by then?), refinancing options, early payment and closure details etc.

Dont be fooled, the lenders are very polite and friendly when they offer you the loan but during repayment they turn into vampires or sharks waiting to suck every last rupee form your bank account at the very first mistake you make (for example, late payment). It's their job to make money off you so be cautious.

5) Learn all you can about money

If you dont know to calculate your EMI or dont know how to write a cheque or if you hate going to the bank or reading long contracts and terms and conditions or other related concepts, please do not take a loan or a credit card. You will suffer the consequences. Lots of people are in deep financial debts simply because they didn't read the fine print or have put wrong dates on their instalment cheques.

I hope this helps you when you decided to take a loan.

Tale of 2 daughters and 2 fathers

The news is gloomy these days. You've probably heard about the honor killing in Punjab where 17-year-old girl in Mandi Ahmedgarh was shot dead allegedly by her own father.Her crime - she had eloped with a boy about six months ago. This is one type of love a father has for his daughter  

In another country... one father and his daughter... a different kind of love. In china, father showered so much love on his 14 yr old daughter that when he suffered from liver cancer and has only 4 months to live, his daughter attempted suicide by taking 200 sleeping pills. She had written a note in which she wrote

"Mom, I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you any longer please give my liver to dad and save him after my death."

Fortunately, her mother found the girl before it was too late and was rushed to the hospital.

Two fathers loving their daughters in different ways. One daughter killed by the father to save his honour... another daughter tried to kill herself to save her father.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it... What kind of father would you want to be?

Modi: IPL is recession proof?!! Ya right!

Just yesterday I read an article where Lalit Modi, Commissioner of IPL said that recession will have no impact on the tournament andthat that the glitzy Twenty20 league is virtually recession proof.

I don't think Lalit Modi understands the concept of recession to well and how long it takes to affects ones business. Today I read that Michael Clarke pulled out of the IPL auction saying he wanted time with his family but the real reason being that no one was ready to pay him 1 million dollars for signing the contract. The article continued to say Modi was upset. I hope he realises that this is the start of the impact recession will have on the tournament ie no sponsor will be ready to spend lavishly on big names, first because they don't have the money and second, because big names don't guarantee big wins (as proved by Rajestan Royals).

Lalit Modi, get down to reality, smell the recession and act accordingly. Every mother or father thinks their child is special. The IPL is not, its only the first of many more leagues to come in other countries.

Advertising Insult to our injury

To the left is an article I was reading about the recent job cuts in the US. All of this started with sub-prime and credit card debts. Thats the reason why I found the Visa ad amusing and insulting at the same time. 

Credit Card companies like Visa and Mastercard and their aggressive companies lured people into the debt traps.  Now, while we read their stories, Visa is telling us to Travell Happy and Dance our way to US$3000!!! Ironic, isnt it?

Ram Sena renews V-Day threat, wants Kamasutra Day instead!

Sri Ram Sena is at it again. They are all set to disrupt valentine's day in Bangalore. "We are going to protest Valentine's Day celebrations. This is not the first time we are protesting. We have been against it for the last 10 years," said Pramod Muthalik, the chief of Sena.

Hmm... people have been killing for the last 10 years, does that justify its continuity? What do these guys want? Do they want to get political mileage in Karnataka? Doesn't look like it. They want us Indians to follow Indian culture. Problem is no on has the time to follow any culture. We have a special day to show we care for or mothers and another day for out fathers and even another day for both. That's modern life. Agreed they don't want valentine day but we need a day to tell our spouse or partner we love them. Lets have.... here it comes...

"Kamasutra Day"

Its a day of love(and more), its not western... its a part or our culture so I feel it should be acceptable to the R. Sena. And instead of card that show hearts and cupid, lets exchange card that show a Kamasutra pose, just for inspiration ;-) . If Hallmark and Archie's are reading this please contact me as soon as possible, this is a million dollor idea. In the mean time, i'll be out (or in) celebrating Kamasutra Day.

DLF, Unitech, Parsvnath Profits Down

I dont invest in realty. To me, their stock value and their underlying assets are over inflated and about to pop. Actually they did pop. How could they not. When you think of serving only a fraction of the population who want investments and brush off the rest who need a home, you are bound to suffer such consequences. 

Plagued by empty buildings, financiers turning their backs, and debt reaching its boiling point on their books, they suffered disastrously low profits. In the case of Parsvnath Developers, it was a drop of 95%.

Now they've woken up to the reality that low cost housing project are they key to sustaining growth. Premium apartments are a thing of the past, atleast for now. Its amazing that these guys with all their MBAs and certificates never look at how history has played out. They seem to get carried away by greed and began to believe that our economy will continue to grow forever. If this were not true, they would be quite diverse enough in their market segments to weather out this storm.

Better late than never, these real estate giants have realized that the people, especially couples, who need flats in urban areas are those with Rs 20k to 40K a month income working in sectors like IT, who want to put their kids in better schools and the old folks who want to live off their pension. They are the ones who need better options than living in a rented apartment. They don't need swimming pools and gyms. What they need are strong walls with a water proof ceiling in a safe locality. The recession, for greedy people like the realties, is a good wake-up call.

We want STD at 10p/min

TRAI had last year recommended unrestricted domestic telephony which would have allowed mobile subscribers in India to route their STD calls via the Internet, thus making them very cheap, nearly 10p/minute

However, the telecom operators like vodafone, idea cellular and airtel are opposing the move to allow free domestic telephony because they had paid huge licence fees of around 1600Cr that allows them to provide STD services to their customer and allowing domestic Internet telephony will cause them loss in revenues and provide an advantage to ISPs

Why should the customer have to suffer for the poor judgement on part of the cellular operators. Nobody forced them to pay such huge amounts for the licence. They didn't have foresight on the potential of the Internet for which they must pay the price but instead they are bullying the TRAI into preventing the ISPs from providing a cheaper and better option for the consumers.