Wandering Thoughts from My Life!

Drunkenomics - Bar Stool Economics

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers", he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20". Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his "fair share?"

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, "but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!" "That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!" "Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.

Professor of Economics, University of Georgia

Proud to be a Malayalee!!

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Fun Facts:-

Keralites Mother Tongue is MALAYALAM (You can spell it from right to left & left to right)
Malayalam is second most spoken language in the Gulf!!
You will find Keralite farm workers, artisans, technicians, manual labourers, illiterates and semi-literates all migrating to all parts of the Globe.
When they start most of them only know their mother tongue. Through hardwork, drive, enthusiasm, tenacity, persistence, Humour sense they learn the trades and many languages viz. Hindi, English, Arabic, Marathi etc. to sustain them.
It is true that none of them speak Queen’s English. Most of the world does not.
Kerala is the only 100% literate state in India.
Kerala was rated as the most baby friendly state with the lowest infant mortality rates and the best Health Care Model by UN.
It is only in Kerala a movement of selling commodities by a channel known as MARGIN FREE has been started. ( Example: A bottle of Horlicks in every state in India being sold for 112Rs including taxes is being sold in these Margin Free shops for only Rs.100 !!! ....Amazing isn’t it ???)
Kerala is the only state where a Hindu, Muslim & a Christian family live side by side / in adjacent villas without any fear in perfect harmony, unlike other places in this world where we find community enclaves because the minority community is afraid of the majority.
Most of the recent Hindi movies have Scene to Scene copies from Kerala ( MALLU!!) movies. Including the latest Billu Barber!!!

Personalities:-

Present Indian Defense Minister is from Kerala. – Mr. A K Antony
Present Indian Foreign Secretary is from Kerala - Mr. Shivshankar Menon
Present Chief Justice of India is from Kerala - Mr. K.G. Balakrishnan
The Chief of ISRO and the man behind "Chandryaan' , the Indian Space program is from Kerala - Mr. G Madhavan Nair
Present National Security Adviser (NSA) to the Prime Minister is from Kerala – Mayankote Kelath Narayanan (M K Narayanan)
Inaugural Chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is from Kerala – Mr. Radha Vinod Raju
Present Principal Secretary to Prime Minister is from Kerala – Mr. T K A Nair More
The only Indian to contest for the UN Secretary General's Position is from Kerala. - Mr. Shashi Tharoor Follow on twitter
The chief of Staff to UN Secretary General is from Kerala - Mr. Vijay Nambiar
Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi & Rajiv Gandhi all had their Private Secretaries hailing from Kerala.
The last Indian representative to the Miss Universe contest was a Keralite.

That's shat a Malayalee is all about, all around the world.

I am proud to be a KERALITE, a MALAYALEE!!

Cheers

NoeL

Blog Makeover!

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:39:00 +0000

My blog took its birth on 3rd May 2008 and from then till date, it has not changed its looks... I was intending to do a makeover for a long time now! And, today is the day!

I am planning to put "Falkner Press" template. I have already started integrating the template with my list of widgets.

The current list of widgets/codes used on this site are given below.

Heading:-

Blog Title:- Wandering Thoughts from My Life!
Blog Description:- My Thoughts! My Interests! My Activities!

Body:-

Search Box - Blogger Default
Text1 - Quotes
Blogposts
HTML/Javascript - Stats.
I also recommend reading... - Blogger Default.

Bottom Panel:-

HTML/Javascript - Bottom Panel - Adbrite
Disclaimer

Side Bar top:-

About Me!
Google Translate
Subscribe To My Feed - Blogger Default
HTML/Javascript - Feedburner
Labels - Alphabetically - Blogger Default
Blog Archieve - Blogger Default
HTML/Javascript - Community Widgets (MyBlogLog, BlogCatalog, FriendConnect etc.)

Side Bar Bottom:-

Blogs I deem worthy of my Time! - Blogger Default - Add from Google reader etc.
Blogrolling
Live Traffic Feed
ShoutMix
No of Times this Blog Has been Visited!
My Blog is Listed at!
Vote for My Blog!
My Latest Movies - Blogger Default (List)

Are these 'too many' or 'too little'? Is there any widget/code I can add to my blog to increase its viewership and Google Page Rank? My current Page Rank is 2.

Here is the image showing the SEO statistics of my website.

Readers, let me know your suggestions.

Don’t Change the World

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Guys!

Here is a little story which I got from the 'ever inspiring' Pravs World. I loved it. Read it below.

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country.

When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather. Definitely, this would need thousands of cows’ skin, and would cost a huge amount of money.

Then one of his wise servant dared himself to tell the king, “Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money ? Why don’t you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet?”

The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a “shoe” for himself.

There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story:

“To make this world a happy place to live, you better change yourself - your heart; and not the world.”

Cheers
NoeL

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's 15th Lok Sabha - List of Ministers and their Portfolios

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:22:00 +0000

CABINET MINISTERS

Pranab Mukherjee - Finance
Sharad Pawar - Agriculture; Food & Civil Supplies; Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution
A.K. Antony - Defense
P. Chidambaram - Home
Mamata Banerjee - Railways
S.M. Krishna - External Affairs
Virbhadra Singh - Steel
Vilasrao Deshmukh - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Ghulam Nabi Azad - Health and Family Welfare
Sushil Kumar Shinde - Power
M. Veerappa Moily - Law and Justice
Dr. Farooq Abdullah - New and Renewable Energy
S. Jaipal Reddy - Urban Development
Kamal Nath - Road Transport and Highways
Vayalar Ravi - Overseas Indian Affairs
Meira Kumar - Water Resources
Dayanidhi Maran - Textiles
A. Raja - Communications and Information Technology
Murli Deora - Petroleum and Natural Gas
Ambika Soni - Information and Broadcasting
Mallikarjun Kharge - Labour and Employment
Kapil Sibal - Human Resource Development
B.K. Handique - Mines and - Development of North Eastern Region
Anand Sharma - Commerce and Industry
C.P. Joshi - Rural Development and Panchayati Raj
Kumari Selja - Housing, Urban Poverty Alleviation and Tourism
Subodh Kant Sahay - Food Processing Industries
Dr. M.S. Gill - Youth Affairs and Sports
G.K. Vasan - Shipping
Pawan K. Bansal - Parliamentary Affairs
Mukul Wasnik - Social Justice and Empowerment
Kantilal Bhuria - Tribal Affairs
M.K. Azhagiri - Chemicals and Fertilizers

MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

Praful Patel - Ministry of Civil Aviation
Prithviraj Chavan - Science and Technology; Earth Sciences; Prime Minister’s Office; Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Parliamentary Affairs
Sriprakash Jaiswal - Coal; Statistics and Programme Implementation
Salman Khursheed - Corporate Affairs; Minority Affairs
Dinsha J. Patel - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Krishna Tirath - Women and Child Development
Jairam Ramesh - Ministry of Environment and Forests

MINISTERS OF STATE

Srikant Jena - Chemicals and Fertilizers
E. Ahamed - Railways
Mullappally Ramachandran - Home Affairs
V. Narayansamy - Planning and Parliamentary Affairs
Jyotiraditya Scindia - Commerce and Industry
D. Purandeswari -Human Resource Development
K.H. Muniyappa - Railways
Ajay Maken -Home Affairs
Panabaka Lakshmi - Textiles
Namo Narain Meena - Finance
M.M. Pallam Raju - Defense
Saugata Ray - Urban Development
S.S. Palanimanickam -Finance
Jitin Prasada - Petroleum and Natural Gas
A. Sai Prathap - Steel
Smt. Preneet Kaur - External Affairs
Gurudas Kamat - Communications and Information Technology
Harish Rawat - Labour and Employment
K.V. Thomas - Agriculture; Consumer Affairs; Food & Public Distribution
Bharatsinh Solanki - Power
Mahadev S. Khandela - Road Transport and Highways
Dinesh Trivedi - Health and Family Welfare
Sisir Adhikari - Rural Development
Sultan Ahmed - Tourism
Mukul Roy - Shipping
Mohan Jatua - Information and Broadcasting
D. Napoleon - Social Justice and Empowerment
S. Jagathrakshakan - Information and Broadcasting
S. Gandhiselvan -Health and Family Welfare
Tusharbhai Chaudhary - Tribal Affairs
Sachin Pilot - Communications and Information Technology
Arun Yadav - Youth Affairs and Sports
Pratik Prakashbapu Patil - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
R.P.N. Singh - Road Transport and Highways
Shashi Tharoor - External Affairs
Vincent Pala - Water Resources
Pradeep Jain -Rural Development
Agatha Sangma - Rural Development

NoeL

Two Opposites Suicides

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Sun, 24 May 2009 10:47:00 +0000

The image says it all!

Cheers
NoeL

MBA Tips - Group Discussion

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Making a good impression while speaking in meetings or interviews is the basic skill every professional should have.

What skills are judged in group discussion?

How good you are at communication with others.
How you behave and interact with group.
How open minded are you.
Your listening skill.
How you put forward your views.
Your leadership and decision making skills.
Your analysis skill and subject knowledge.
Problem solving and critical thinking skill.
Your attitude and confidence.

Do’s and Don’ts of Group discussion:

Keep eye contact while speaking: Do not look at the evaluators only. Keep eye contact with every team member while speaking.
Initiate the GD: Initiating the GD is a big plus. But keep in mind - Initiate the group discussion only when you understood the GD topic clearly and have some topic knowledge. Speaking without proper subject knowledge is bad impression.
Allow others to speak: Do not interrupt anyone in-between while speaking. Even if you don’t agree with his/her thoughts do not snatch their chance to speak. Instead make some notes and clear the points when it’s your turn.
Speak clearly: Speak politely and clearly. Use simple and understandable words while speaking. Don’t be too aggressive if you are disagreeing with someone. Express your feelings calmly and politely.
Make sure to bring the discussion on track: If by any means group is distracting from the topic or goal then simply take initiative to bring the discussion on the track. Make all group members aware that you all need to come to some conclusion at the end of the discussion. So stick to the topic.
Positive attitude: Be confident. Do not try to dominate anyone. Keep positive body language. Show interest in discussion.
Speak sensibly: Do not speak just to increase your speaking time. Don’t worry even if you speak less. Your thoughts should be sensible and relevant instead of irrelevant speech.
Listen carefully to others: Speak less and listen more! Pay attention while others are speaking. This will make coherent discussion and you will get involved in the group positively. You will surely make people agree with you.
No need to go into much details: Some basic subject analysis is sufficient. No need to mention exact figures while giving any reference. You have limited time so be precise and convey your thoughts in short and simple language.
Formal dressing: Do not take it casually. No fancy and funny dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in group. Positive gesture and body language will make your work easy.

Courtesy: shroffsarvesh@PaGaLGuY.com

Cheers

NoeL

Some Cricket Gyaan via Pics

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:24:00 +0000

Only for Cricket fans! :)

Cheers
Leo

NB: Click open the image in a new window for enlarged view.

Indian Premier League (IPL) - Second Edition - Schedule - South Africa

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:53:00 +0000

Date	Teams and Match	Venue
Sat, Apr 18 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, 1st T20	Newlands, Cape Town
Sat, Apr 18 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Rajasthan Royals vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 2nd T20	Newlands, Cape Town
Sun, Apr 19 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, 3rd T20	Newlands, Cape Town
Sun, Apr 19 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers, 4th T20	Newlands, Cape Town
Mon, Apr 20 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super Kings, 5th T20	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Tue, Apr 21 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, 6th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Tue, Apr 21 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, 7th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Wed, Apr 22 20:00 - 23:00 hrs IST	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers, 8th T20	Newlands, Cape Town
Thu, Apr 23 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils, 9th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Thu, Apr 23 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 10th ODI	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Fri, Apr 24 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kings XI Punjab vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 11th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Sat, Apr 25 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians, 12th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Sat, Apr 25 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, 13th T20	Newlands, Cape Town
Sun, Apr 26 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Delhi Daredevils, 14th T20	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Sun, Apr 26 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab, 15th Match	Newlands, Cape Town
Mon, Apr 27 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers, 16th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Mon, Apr 27 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, 17th T20	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Tue, Apr 28 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals, 18th T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed, Apr 29 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 19th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Wed, Apr 29 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, 20th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Thu, Apr 30 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 21st T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Thu, Apr 30 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, 22nd T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Fri, May 01 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 23rd T20	Buffalo Park, East London
Fri, May 01 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab, 24th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Sat, May 02 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers, 25th T20	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Sat, May 02 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils, 26th T20	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun, May 03 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 27th T20	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Sun, May 03 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Mumbai Indians vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 28th T20	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Mon, May 04 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings, 29th T20	Buffalo Park, East London
Tue, May 05 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals, 30th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Tue, May 05 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 31st T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Wed, May 06 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers, 32nd T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Thu, May 07 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Rajasthan Royals, 33rd T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Thu, May 07 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings, 34th T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Fri, May 08 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians, 35th T20	Buffalo Park, East London
Sat, May 09 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab, 36th T20
Sat, May 09 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, 37th T20
Sun, May 10 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Mumbai Indians, 38th T20	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Sun, May 10 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils, 39th T20	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Mon, May 11 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals, 40th T20
Tue, May 12 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 41st T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tue, May 12 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, 42nd T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed, May 13 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils, 43rd T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Thu, May 14 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 44th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Thu, May 14 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, 45th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Fri, May 15 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, 46th T20
Sat, May 16 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, 47th T20	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Sat, May 16 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 48th T20	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun, May 17 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers, 49th T20	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun, May 17 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils, 50th T20
Mon, May 18 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 51st T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tue, May 19 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Delhi Daredevils vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 52nd T20	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Wed, May 20 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 53rd T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Wed, May 20 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab, 54th T20	Kingsmead, Durban
Thu, May 21 16:00 - 19:30 hrs IST	Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils, 55th T20	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Thu, May 21 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	Deccan Chargers vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 56th Match	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Fri, May 22 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	tba vs tba, First semi-final	SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sat, May 23 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	tba vs tba, Second semi-final	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun, May 24 20:00 - 23:30 hrs IST	tba vs tba, Final	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

T20 Tournament - 36-day, 59-match Extravaganza - Starting today.
Enjoy Cricket at it's best!

Cheers
NoeL

Mariah Carey - There's A Hero

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Here is a song from the singer Mariah Carey which was dedicated to me today by someone special. I loved the song and thought of sharing the same with you all. :)

Lyrics:-

There's a hero,

If you look inside your heart,

You don't have to be afraid of what you are,

There's an answer,

If you reach into your soul,

And the sorrow that you know will melt away.

[chorus]

And then a hero comes along,

With the strength to carry on,

And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive,

So when you feel like hope is gone,

Look inside you and be strong,

And you'll finally see the truth that a hero lies in you.

It's a long road,

When you face the world alone,

No one reaches out a hand for you to hold,

You can find love,

If you search within yourself,

And the emptiness you felt will disappear.

[chorus]

Lord knows,

Dreams are hard to follow,

But don't let anyone tear them away,

Hold on,

There will be tomorrow,

In time you'll find the way.

[chorus]

That a hero lies in.....you______

Ooohh that a hero lies in.....you_____________

Youtube - Mariah Carey - There's a Hero

If you liked it, let me know your comments...

Cheers

NoeL

How Far You Go In Life

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:13:00 +0000

How far you go in : life depends

on your being tender with the young,

compassionate with the aged,

sympathetic with the struggling,

and tolerant of the weak and the strong

because,

someday you will have been all of these.

Courtesy: pravstalk

Recession: 2009 Sales Target

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:29:00 +0000

NoeL

Recession Effect : Last Evacuation Drill

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:00:00 +0000

This happened in XYZ Company last week.

A fire alarm rang at 6 PM when almost all shift employees are in office (approx 5000). As usual entire office was evacuated within 3 minutes & every employee gathered outside office. 10 minutes passed... 5 more minutes passed.

Security Officer started Announcement:
"Dear Employees - With melting heart I am making this announcement that for many of you it will be a last evacuation drill, as we are laying off almost 80% employees. While moving in who-so-ever ID card won't work are laid off & all their belongings will be couriered to them tomorrow. We followed this approach as we don't want to fill email box size with layoff email in thousands & also to avoid any fight inside office. Hope you have nice career ahead. Please move in & try your luck”.

NoeL

Here i am sitting in my office @ night

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:58:00 +0000

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed from a maverick college life to strict professional life…...

How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks
but then why it gives less happiness….

How a few local denim jeans changed to new branded wardrobe
but then why there are less people to use them

How a single plate of samosa changed to a full Pizza or burger
But then why there is less hunger…..

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a bike always in reserve changed to bike always on
but then why there are less places to go on……

How a small coffee shop changed to cafe coffee day
but then why its feels like shop is far away…..

How a limited prepaid card changed to postpaid package
but then why there are less calls & more messages……

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a general class journey changed to Flight journey
But then why there are less vacations for enjoyment….

How a old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop
but then why there is less time to put it on……….

How a small bunch of friends changed to office mate
But then why we always feel lonely n miss those college frnz.….

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed….. How it changed……..

NoeL

Recession: Is working late in the Office advisable?

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:46:00 +0000

Moral of the story :

In these cost cutting days Leave office early

What is Recession?

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Mr. Anand Mahindra at the time of launch of Mahindra Scorpio in 2002 said "Recession is in the minds of the people". He stood by it at the time of launch of Mahindra Xylo on January 13, 2009, when asked by several reporters. Here is a story which supports his idea about 'Recession'.

This story is about a man who once upon a time was selling Hotdogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs.

He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales. His sales and profit went up. He ordered more a more raw material and buns and sold more. He recruited more supporting staff to serve more customers. He started offering home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove. As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from college, joined his father.

Then something strange happened.

The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?" The father replied, "No, but tell me about it." The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times."

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV. He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colourful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic. He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his Hotdog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly and so did the profit. The father said to his son, "Son, you were right”. “We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

Moral of the Story: It’s all in your MIND! And we actually FUEL this recession much more than we think.

Cheers

NoeL

FT Business School Rankings 2009 is out!

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Guys!

FT Business School Rankings 2009 is out!

Here is the World's first 10:-

University of Pennsylvania: Wharton - U.S.A.
London Business School - U.K.
Harvard Business School - U.S.A.
Columbia Business School - U.S.A.
Insead - France / Singapore
Stanford University GSB - U.S.A.
IE Business School – Spain
CEIBS – China
MIT: Sloan - U.S.A.
New York University: Stern - U.S.A.

Here is Asia's Representation in FT Rankings 2009:-

CEIBS - China - FT 8
Indian School of Business - India - FT 15
Hong Kong UST Business School - Hong Kong - FT 16
Nanyang Business School - Singapore - FT 24
National University of Singapore School of Business - Singapore - FT 35

Congrats ISB!

For more, Checkout!

Cheers
NoeL

ISB does it again! - Achieves Global Ranking of 15 (FT B-School Rankings 2009)

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Hyderabad, January 27, 2009: The Indian School of Business (ISB) has been ranked No: 15 in the global B-school rankings released by the Financial Times, London. Previously, in the year 2008, the ISB was ranked 20 by Financial Times, making it the first Indian business school to be counted among the world’s top 20. This is the second year in a row, when ISB has achieved a high rank among leading international business schools.

“I am very proud of the ISB’s achievement. The high level of commitment of the faculty, students, alumni, and the staff at the ISB as well as the unstinting guidance of its associate schools and the Board, have made it possible for this new institution to overcome many challenges in its formative years,” said Rajat Gupta, Chairman, ISB. “ISB’s vision is to make high quality education accessible to a large number of aspirants and I am delighted that the school is growing steadily to fulfill that vision.”

The ISB was established in 2001 by a group of leading industrialists and academicians from India and abroad. From 126 students in 2001, ISB has steadily increased the number of students year after year. The Class of 2009 will have 440 students graduating in April 2009. ISB will be increasing the number of students to 560 in the Class of 2010. Recently, the ISB also announced the setting up of a second campus at Mohali which is likely to commence classes in 2012.

Congratulating the ISB community, Ajit Rangnekar, Dean, ISB, said, “This is a testimony of the dedication and commitment of our faculty, students, alumni, and staff. ISB’s success is a clear demonstration of how the will, energy, and ambition of a diverse group of people can achieve an overarching vision in a remarkably short time. We owe immense gratitude to our Board, our associate schools, our Faculty Heads from these schools, and the former Deans of ISB, who have guided us through our eventful journey.”

The ISB community gathered at the Atrium to celebrate the occasion. Spouses, students, staff, children, faculty, and alumni expressed their elation jubilantly. Echoing the sentiments of the entire student community, Rohit Kapoor, the President of the Graduate Student Board at the ISB said, “It is fantastic to witness history unfolding at my alma mater! I am amazed at the quality of faculty that teach us and at how much I have learnt and grown in the last few months. We are all extremely proud to be ISBians, ISB Rocks!”

Within a short span of eight years, the ISB has made a mark for itself as a premier, B-School in India. Since its inception, the ISB has been a leader in the field of management education by bringing in international best practices and people. The ISB introduced the one year programme, unique portfolio model of faculty, students with prior work experience and diverse backgrounds, the GMAT score as a selection criterion, lateral placements, international quality research and several other initiatives. Being ranked ‘Fifteen’ among global B-schools is a validation of the ISB’s effort to establish an international B-School located in India.

TISS 2009 - 11 Results

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:54:00 +0000

Today, the results of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) are out for the admissions to its Post Graduate Programmes 2009 – 11. The results for the same can be obtained from the link below. TISS Results

I was looking up the results for someone who was very close to my heart. But what to say, the website just don’t load. That is when I decide to do some ‘wandering’ in this World Wide Web. Let me share with you all couple of things that I found interesting.

President Obama’s Inaugural Address
I had seen the entire ceremony live on CNN.com. I did expect much more from him in his inaugural address. The ‘hope’ and ‘change’ were limited to less than what was expected. Stock Markets world over, which were searching for a direction in this turbulent times, tumbled. Anyways, you can find the full text of his speech here.

Also the video can be watched here.

President Obama’s Speech at the Lincoln Memorial 1-18-09 Pre-Inauguration
Full text of his speech in it's crude form can be found here.
Also, find the video here.

Google Bomb!

How does a Google Bomb happen?
A Google Bomb happens when a group of people get together, coordinating themselves to link to a certain page using certain agreed-upon phrase, often for humorous or political purposes.

Read more about the latest Google Bomb “cheerful achievement” here.

Now, coming back to TISS Results, even after an hour and more than 100 refreshes, TISS results elude me. I have just sent in an email to TISS Admissions office as per their instructions on their website. I quote.

Candidates who are unable to see the Results after repeated attempts may send an email to pgadmissions@tiss.edu with details such as Registration Number, Centre, Course(s) Applied, Category and Date of Birth to know their results.

Hope to see the results soon.

Cheers
NoeL

Deconstructing the Mumbai Attacks

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:14:00 +0000

(This article was published in the Mint – WSJ on 04 Dec 2008)

As terrorist attacks go, 26/11 scored a ten on ten. Military operations have their own telltale signs of professionalism in planning and execution. And all signs indicate that this assault was well planned and executed. The attacks themselves have been dissected and analyzed in great detail but if one were to go beyond the obvious blame games, one would see an analysis that is far more menacing in terms of implications and repercussions.

Intelligence analysts begin their assessment of such events by answering three fundamental questions. Firstly, who has the capability? Secondly, que bono? Who benefits and thirdly, what is likely to happen next. Answering the first two questions usually gives a fair idea of the third.

This attack was executed by well led professionals

The benchmarks of terrorist operations are synchronization, speed of execution, complexity of the mission and the end objectives.

Let’s examine these in some detail. There were at least 3-4 sub units with distinctly different targets. These targets were tactical and diversionary like CST and Leopold, strategic like Taj and Oberoi and surgical strikes like Nariman House. Synchronizing diverse categories of strikes down to an hour in conjunction with other diversions such as bombs in taxies, demonstrate abilities of a high degree.

Consider the number of planets that had to get in line for such an operation to be mounted and a clearer picture emerges.

At least five to eight executive teams were needed to effect such an operation.

Firstly, adequate number of motivated assets had to be found within the talent pool. Then they had to be trained for months, for the sea crossing, insertion into hostile territory, identifying targets, overcoming preliminary resistance and accomplishing the mission. They needed to be given intelligence, reconnaissance inputs, local logistics and communication support. The attacks had to be simultaneous to debilitate resources of anti-terrorist forces and yet had to be in common vicinity to facilitate a single insertion point.

Selection of Taj and Oberoi, as against say an Intercontinental or President, shows the intent to give the terrorist more operating space, and thus a larger window to cause damage and hold media attention. Surgical strike at Nariman house was to send a strong message to Israel since these assets would have been far more damaging in casualty terms in another hotel or office complex. Plus improvisation that indicates higher caliber of leadership. (The capture of boats for the last mile connectivity was certainly an improvisation because something went wrong. One doesn’t launch an operation across hundreds of kilometers into hostile territory hoping to find a boat that can be commandeered.)

All in all, a complex operation and well executed.

Who was behind this attack?

Which brings us back, to the first question. Who has the capability? The process of elimination based on elements of the operation brings it down to just three or four organizations. Of which, two, Naxalites and LTTE can be eliminated because their modus operandi does not warrant such attacks. So let us subject the two remaining organizations with the second question. Who benefits?

We find the answer to that question by answering another question? What did the terrorists want to achieve?

What they did was obvious. They stormed four locations and killed scores of victims. They held the nation to ransom. They were on TV for over three days. But let us see what they did not do. They did not hold hostages, and they did not intend to. Hostage takers do not indiscriminately cause collateral damage abinitio because that reduces the pressure on the state to save the lives of the remaining hostages. They were not aiming for highest possible casualties. Bombs in crowded places are a much better bet to achieve that objective. So just what did the terrorists want to achieve?

The answer– lies in asking how India feels in the aftermath of the incident. The unanimous consensus is summed up in one word – outraged! And when you put that hypothesis, everything falls into place. No hostages, no demands, just seemingly meaningless slaughter. Deep inside the nation’s backyard, multiple strikes, gunning
down expats, Israelis, 72 hours of mayhem, every minute of it televised - leaves a very angry nation in its wake.

So who benefits from an angry and outraged nation? When a nation is outraged – it needs to lash out. At its leadership or at someone else, or both. Lashing out at the leadership is evident in the mass wave of civil movement that has begun. Heads have rolled and the citizenry is demanding more.

But the interesting question is – who would India lash out at externally? After the parliament attack in 2001, the Indian leadership mobilized the defence forces into a precarious détente that lasted over eight months. What if that happened again? Pakistan would have no choice but to reposition its troops from its eastern borders to counter the Indian mobilization, which means it would denude the area which Al-Qaeda has used as its base – and which was rapidly becoming their death knell between the US troops on one side and the Pakistani army on the other.

The Indian leadership cannot be seen as weak and doing nothing. At the very least, they would need to mobilize the Indian forces. Last time this happened in 2001, the Bush administration was very much in command with Parvez Musharraf controlling the Pakistani forces and the ISI. Now, there is no one in charge- in either the US or in Pakistan. When two traditionally hostile nuclear armies mobilize, provocation overcomes logic. Caught between the Pakistani Army and the US troops (who incidentally want to wind up operations in Iraq and refocus on Afghanistan as per the president elect’s agenda) – the best option for Al-Qaeda would be to start a provocation between a nation that has just gone through an ineffectual election and the other which is going into one – with the only mediator busy with the aftermath of its own. A brilliant move.

What does this mean for India?

What does all this mean for India? In the backdrop of the poor record in the financial crisis and internal security performance, the government will have to demonstrate concrete steps for a nation that is baying for blood. While rational elements will try to activate the back channels, it will be in Al-Qaeda’s interests to maintain the momentum driven by bloodthirstiness. And the obvious way to do that would be to keep India
reeling under a secondary wave of attacks. It is time for India to look beyond the obvious reactions to this event and understand the forces which are driving our actions at this stage.

And so, where do we begin? The answer lies in the basic construct of the attacks. This attack would not have been possible without local support, logistics and intelligence.

And that is the place to start the counterattack. Political patronage has long shielded the nexus of the local mafia and terrorist elements. Landing points in ports, laundered money, safe houses, immunity from the police and local logistics all need active support of criminal elements and political patronage. There is evidence to prove that we have information about exactly who these elements are and who safeguards them. The
answer to India’s battlefronts lies much closer than the jingoists would have us believe.
It is time that India started with liquidating the enemy within.

India simply needs to make it horribly expensive for any politico-criminal nexus to even consider the option of being anti national. Channeling all our anger against this single point- should be our counter attack.

This thought leadership article was authored by Mahindra Special Services Group, India’s leading corporate risk consulting firm that advises companies and organizations on threat assessments and risk mitigation strategies. You may forward this article or use it on your website / advisories with attribution to MahindraSSG.

NB:-

You con download the PDF version of this article here.
For feedback please write to feedback@mahindrassg.com

A Tribute to all who lost their lives in Mumbai Terror Attacks!

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:58:00 +0000

A Tribute to all who lost their lives in Mumbai Terror Attacks!

I don't know you,

But yes I do

We all are humans,

Just like you

Thanks for freeing me

And helping me die

But why did you make

My loved ones cry

Why did you let tears?

Roll down their cheeks

It was just happiness

For them I had seeked

A mother out there

Is waiting for me

My orphan dead body

Is all hers to see

She taught me to walk

And helped me read

She natured a dream

To see me succeed

Why did you kill me?

Before her dream came true

Don't you have a mother?

To love and care for you

My children are waiting

For my return

They don't know yet

They are orphan

They don't know much

About this world of greed

There is no one there

To fulfill their needs

Why did you kill me?

Before they could grow

To help them to see

A better tomorrow

The lady beside them

Is my loving wife

She used to care

A lot for my life

I had promised her

To stay beside

To share her sorrow

And her pride

Why did you kill me?

And leave her alone

To fight with life

All on her own

Why did you kill me?

Before death time

Don't you have a caring

Family like mine...

Epilogue:-

You Might be HERO for someone, who sent YOU here...

But not for US...

They know you are a HERO...

But what WE know is... You are not a HUMAN...

Cheers

NoeL

Source: Unknown

Height of Cost cutting

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Due to global liquidity crunch all companies are going for extensive cost cuts. So, be ready for this...!

Cheers

NoeL

Gateway Peace March - 3rd December 2008

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:20:00 +0000

Thousands of people turned up for the Peace March at the Gateway of India, Mumbai on 3rd December 2008 and they were loud and clear about what they wanted.....

"A Change & Action not Bhashan (Lectures!) "

Following images will tell you what the people of Mumbai & India felt about our so called Babus and Netas ( Local Terrorists or Corrupt Politicians).

Cheers

NoeL

NB: I will be posting a couple of more posts related to the recent attacks on Mumbai and India by certain anti-social anti-Indian elements. Keep watching this space.

Inspiration For Living an Extraordinary Life

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Inspiration For Living an Extraordinary Life
By Spencer Michaels

Life is About Correcting Mistakes!

noreply@blogger.com (NoeL) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:56:00 +0000

I found this very interesting and touching!! Planning to do something like this when i get married!! :). Happy reading!!

Priya married Hitesh this day. At the end of the wedding party,

Priya's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook.

With Rs.1000 deposit amount.

Mother: 'Priya, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your marriage life. When there's something happy and memorable happened in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next to the line. The more memorable the event is, the more money you can put in. I've done the first one for you today. Do the others with Hitesh. When you look back after years, you can know how much happiness you've had.'

Priya shared this with Hitesh when getting home. They both thought it was a great idea and were anxious to know when the second deposit can be made.

This was what they did after certain time:

7 Feb: Rs.100, first birthday celebration for Hitesh after marriage
1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Priya
20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali
15 Apr: Rs.2000, Priya got pregnant
1 Jun: Rs.1000, Hitesh got promoted ..... and so on...

However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial things. They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married the most nasty people in the world.... no more love...Kind of typical nowadays, huh?

One day Priya talked to her Mother:

'Mom, we can't stand it anymore. We agree to divorce. I can't imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!!'

Mother: 'Sure, girl, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you want if you really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing first. Remember the saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out all money and spend it first. You shouldn't keep any record of such a poor marriage.'

Priya thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the queue and planning to cancel the account.

While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joy and happiness just came up her mind. Her eyes were then filled with tears. She left and went home.

When she was home, she handed the passbook to Hitesh, asked him to spend the money before getting divorce.

The next day, Hitesh gave the passbook back to Priya. She found a new deposit of Rs.5000. And a line next to the record: 'This is the day I notice how much I've loved you thru out all these years. How much happiness you've brought me.'

They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back to the safe.

Do you know how much money they had saved when they retired? I did not ask. I believe the money did not matter any more after they had gone thru all the good years in their life.

"When you fall, in any way, Don't see the place where you fell, Instead see the place from where you slipped."

Life is about correcting mistakes!