The 5 Principles to Unlocking Wealth

The following is an excerpt from a book:


These principles are a key to unlocking amazing cache of wealth, abundance and success. They are all centered on our true innate qualities, which as a matter of fact are universal and have a spiritual basis. These principals are:



Beautiful Munnar



 Truth


 Righteousness


 Peace


 Love, and


 Non-violence

The practice of these virtues will enable anyone to progress in life without any doubt.

The reason is simple.

These universal principles are all attractive and needless to say, they form the cornerstone of the code of ethics. You cannot go wrong practicing the importance to moral values, codes of conduct and obeying the Law of Nature in your pursuit of wealth.

Pessimism

While pessimism warns us of dangers lurking before our very own eyes, optimism may propel us into false security. Pessimism should only be considered initial and not a final predicament in any situation - this is the first step to success.

The Basic Steps


The following guidelines will help you pave a wonderful path to your ultimate success.

The steps are very simple to implement in your daily life.

1. Do what you love and what you are good at.

2. Be prepared to learn and to be positive (motivation and enthusiasm)

3. Be an innovative individual.

4. Be prepared to invest not just money but your time, effort and resources too.

I mentioned money - this does not mean that you have to incest a large sum to become wealthy.

5. You must be disciplined in having set goals and targets. Remember that persistence is the key to success.

6. You must be prepared to manage your time effectively.

7. As you evolve, learn to give back what you amass to society. I call this philanthropy.

You must have a solid vision - one in which you "see" yourself having attained success. Great people of the past and present see to it that they reach this coveted position by employing these basic steps.

Action is incredibly important and highlights success - the two are synonymous to be quite honest. To succeed action is needed but the essential ingredient is how serious you are. Being too serious can ruin your business venture, so the point is to have FUN.

Our inner also environment plays a huge role. A calm relaxed individual is far more likely to come out a winner in a trying situation that his/her counterpart - a person who is nervous, frustrated and erratic. The former has his senses fully identified with the environment in which he places himself.


However, the restless individual does not understand the environment and consequently gets into trouble. The keywords are focus, concentration and care in whatever you do in life.

1. Develop a definite and a clear-cut goal/aim.

2. Draw up a wise workable plan/program.

3. Guard your health. Without health there is no real wealth.

4. You must conserve your energy.

5. Be honest in your life (in words, deeds, thoughts and actions)

6. Stick to virtues and adopt good principles.

7. Reflect upon ideal personalities and seek strength from their philosophy.

8. Seek divine guidance and be truthful.

9. Endeavor to help and serve others with gratitude.

10. Always think positive and believe in the power of God.

Transformative thinking is indeed the way to success. Set out a plan to achieve your goal and deliberately ruminate over the meaning of this plan and make it happen.


But if the above is overwhelming then all you need is join Indian politics :)

We weep for you..

One weeps for the ant amongst the giants.....

Please resign if you are overwhelmed since this is not the time to procastinate or put your hands on your head.

Murderers, Rapists and Looters

Murderers, rapists and looters sitting in Parliament: Arvind Kejriwal


This statement from Kejriwal seems to have hit a raw spot but is there any truth in it?

Let the following speak for itself.

Source; A Report by NATIONAL ELECTION WATCH & ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) was established in 1999 by a group of professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad. In 1999, Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by them with Delhi High Court asking for [or requesting] the disclosure of the criminal, financial and educational background of the candidates contesting elections. Based on this, the Supreme Court in 2002, and subsequently in 2003, made it mandatory for all candidates contesting elections to disclose criminal, financial and educational background prior to the polls by filing an affidavit with the Election Commission.

Now we know that even one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel....

The report confirms our worst suspicions. MPs with criminal records are more numerous in 2009 (162) than in 2004 (128), and so too those involved in heinous offences such as dacoity, rape and murder (76:58).

But all is not lost:

Of the 608 candidates with the most serious criminal cases against them, only 76 won. The remaining 532 were rejected by the voters.

As for looters, we know that it would be very difficult to find MP's who have not increased their wealth after coming to power.

Let us look at the crorepati's:

MP crorepatis have doubled in number in 2009 (315) compared to 2004 (156). And the chances of winning an election in 2009 progressively improved with the value of their assets (0.43% with assets under Rs.10 lakhs to 32.65% with assets over Rs.5 crores). Yet election expenses continue to be absurdly under- reported. An MP from Arunachal reportedly spent only Rs.10,000 while the freest spenders anywhere were reportedly well within the Rs.25 lakh limit. Obviously in fear of admitting to a corrupt practice under the law, and rendering their election liable to be declared null and void by the High Court.

So when people like Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi say that it was an insult to Parliament and people of the country who elect MPs and MLAs, it is not entirely correct. Those winning the elections are those with most cash. This cash is used to influence the voters and most media help the candidates and not the voters. While the looters gain, the voters cannot be entirely blamed for their wrong choice.

• The number of crorepati MPs has increased from 156 in Lok Sabha 2004 to 315 in Lok Sabha 2009.

• Out of 315 crorepati MPs in Lok Sabha 2009, 146 are of INC, 59 are of BJP, 14 are of SP, 13 each are of BSP and DMK, 9 of SHS, 8 of JD (U) and 7 of AITC.


• Among major parties, the average asset per MP for INC is Rs. 5.9 crores and for BJP is Rs 3.4 crores.

Now is there any problem if they become corepati's?

There seems to be a problem since only these elected ones seems to have increased their wealth but not the voters.

Compare the above with the state of affairs with the voters.

Rural MPCE

The NSS concept of MPCE, therefore, is defined first at the household level (household monthly consumer expenditure ÷ household size). This measure serves as the indicator of the household’s level of living.

 
Arvind Kejriwal's statement needs to be noticed.

Do read: http://under-the-tree-of-tranquility.blogspot.com/2012/03/chin-up-indians-we-have-reasons-to-be.html

28 Rs per day

Our planning commission still doesn’t get it I think. They insist that a citizen in India should join the group of privileged or the rich if they earn 28 Rs per day! Guess the only way to make them see the truth is to force them to show it to the nation. Let our media also have a field day in airing their woes live to the nation while they try subsisting at 28 a day for at least a month.

It was for this same reason that two youngsters, Tushar Vashisht and Mathew Cherian  tried this experiment.

Late last year, two young men decided to live a month of their lives on the income of an average poor Indian. One of them, Tushar, the son of a police officer in Haryana, studied at the University of Pennsylvania and worked for three years as an investment banker in the US and Singapore. The other, Matt, migrated as a teenager to the States with his parents, and studied in MIT. Both decided at different points to return to India, joined the UID Project in Bengaluru, came to share a flat, and became close friends.

Rs100aday is an attempt by two friends to bring to light the issues affecting the common man in India through direct experiences.

This blog has its beginnings in an effort to live on India’s average income - Rs. 100/person/day without rent – to observe and understand the constraints that come with life at a monthly income of 3000.

However, after the Planning Commission came out with the proposed poverty line of Rs. 32/person/day, we decided to spend one week living at that income level in addition to three weeks at Rs. 100/day. Besides coming to the realization that the Rs. 32 figure is nonviable, we also gained some key insights into the lives of the poor

While they were at it:

Hardly a day went by during the past month, in which we didn’t think of food. And no, it wasn’t because we couldn’t get our minds off of planning the first meal we would have at the end of our experiment. Rather, it was because, food was the largest component of our budget at both Rs. 100/day (50%) and Rs. 32/day (68%).

  States like Kerala had a well set up PDS system much earlier than the rest of the country.

It is well known that Kerala had one of the best run and most effective PDS networks in India. Prior to the introduction of targeting, Kerala was the only state in India with near-universal coverage of the PDS.

If these youngsters had a tough time in a state like Kerala, it would be even tougher in other states. Since APL (Above poverty line) and BPL(Below poverty line) is fixed as per the planning commission’s figure of poverty line, the poor of India is yet again squeezed.

Planning Commission on Monday further reduced poverty line to Rs.28.65 per capita daily consumption in cities and Rs.22.42 in rural areas, scaling down India's poverty ratio to 29.8 per cent in 2009-10, the estimates which are likely to raise the hackles of civil society.

It is not as though India does not have enough to distribute through it’s PDS scheme but this very important “Poverty Line” determines who shall get it, even when half of it rots away.

According to information revealed from a RTI petition filed in Delhi, the FCI has spent crores of rupees over the past decade in just disposing off the rotten foods lying in the go-downs.

Will those at the Planning Commission, specially Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia dare to take up this experiment?


Source:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-poverty-line-now-lowered-to-rs-28-per-day/1/178483.html

http://rs100aday.com/about/
http://planningcommission.nic.in/news/index.php?news=prbody.htm
http://ccs.in/ccsindia/downloads/intern-papers-08/PDS-in-Kerala-204.pdf
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Harsh_Mander/article2882340.ece

The state that spends the most...

A glance at the NSS consumer expenditure survey made me copy down a few points more as reference since one fails to reach a conclusion when it comes to Kerala.

The NSS consumer expenditure survey aims at generating estimates of average household monthly per capita consumer expenditure (MPCE), its distribution over households and persons, and its break-up by commodity group, separately for the rural and urban sectors of the country, for States and Union Territories, and for different socioeconomic groups. These indicators are amongst the most important measures of the level of living of the respective domains of the population. The distribution of MPCE highlights the differences in level of living of the different segments of the population and is an effective tool to study the prevalence of poverty and inequality. These numbers enable the apex planning and decision-making process to allocate the nation’s resources among sectors, regions, and socio-economic groups, and assess the “inclusiveness” of economic growth.

Among the major States, Kerala (Rs.1835) had the highest rural MPCE. It was followed by Punjab (Rs.1649) and Haryana (Rs.1510). In all other major States, average rural MPCE was between Rs.750 and Rs.1250.



Average rural MPCE year 2009-2010

 Maharashtra (Rs.2437) and Kerala (Rs.2413) were the two major States with the highest MPCE in the urban sector, followed by Haryana (Rs.2321). Urban MPCE was lowest in Bihar (Rs.1238).

In the major States, the share of food in rural MPCE varied from 46% for Kerala and 48% for Punjab to 64% in Assam and 65% in Bihar. In the urban sector it varied from 40- 41% in Kerala and Maharashtra to 52% in Jharkhand and 53% in Bihar and Assam.

The share of cereals in total expenditure in rural India varied across the major States from 7% in Punjab and Haryana to 21% in Assam and Bihar. In urban India, the share varied from 6% for Haryana, Punjab and Kerala to 13% in Assam and 15% in Bihar.

How is Kerala spending?

Kerala spends equally on cereals and intoxicants! :)

The percentage of rural population with MPCE above Rs.1000 exceeded 70% in Haryana and Punjab, while in Kerala 80% of the rural population had MPCE exceeding Rs.977

 At the all-India level only about 0.4 percent of rural households had access to internet at home compared to about 6 percent of urban households. Among the larger States, Kerala had by far the highest proportion of households with internet access in the rural sector (about 3 percent), followed by Himachal Pradesh (about 2 percent). In the urban sector Maharashtra (about 10 percent) reported the highest percentage among the larger States, followed closely by Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana. While States like Goa and Arunachal Pradesh (rural) and Chandigarh (urban) clearly had greater internet access compared to most major States, larger sample sizes would be necessary in order to estimate the percentages of households with internet access in these small states and UTs with reasonable accuracy.

Why is Kerala showing these figures?

NRI remittance?

Migration?

Keralites migrated to different places including states in India much earlier. This meant that at least one member (more in some places) in every family was not depending on the state for his sustenance, instead in most cases he became a major or a minor contributor.

According to the latest studies done by the Centre for Development Studies, the diaspora's remittances account for 31.23 percent of Kerala's net state domestic product.

The link between migration and poverty is complex and dependent on the specific circumstances in which migration takes place. Migration can both cause and be caused by poverty. Poverty can be alleviated as well as exacerbated by migration. In Kerala, India, for example, migration to the Gulf States has caused wages to rise, reduced unemployment, and improved the economic situation of those left behind.19 In
other situations, migration does not lead to economic or social improvement. Research on the impact of labour migration in tribal Western India found that for poorer migrants ‘many years of migration have not led to any long-term increase in assets or any reduction in poverty’. However the study also noted that migration offered poor migrants ‘a short-term means to service debt and avoid the more extreme forms of dependency and bondage’.

http://www.migrationdrc.org/publications/other_publications/Moving_Out_of_Poverty.pdf

100% literacy

For the Keralites, 100% literacy also meant that they were better equipped to benefit from migration. Migration itself could be an off shoot of education. If the state could absorb only a part of the educated ones, the rest had to find a way out.

Guess, at the end of the day it is EDUCATION which plays a major role.

But if migration had not happened, would Kerala be in the present state? I doubt since the state has not much to boast in terms of job creation in the state itself.

The current government barely exists but Kerala has been lucky to have two parties governing one after the other. A strong opposition party always existed.

Kerala shall remain as a consumer state and hence the sector which can be improved is the tertiary sector. Since Kerala has already found a place in the tourist map, it needs to urgently improve the roads and other infrastructure. Higher education is another area where it can do much. It also needs to do much more in conserving water by encouraging rain water harvesting and it’s likes. It also needs to clean up its water sources.

The recent budget proclamation made some of us want to rush back to Kerala :) but since Keralites are the worst cynics, we know that these shall remain in paper only. God’s own country needs only a little push from the government be it the center or the state to live up to it’s name but will that ever happen?



Source:
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/Level%20and%20Pattern%20of%20Consumer%20Expenditure.pdf

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8546952.stm

http://www.mathrubhumi.com/english/story.php?id=121592

Chin up Indians! We have reasons to be proud!

Even if you despair at times, do remember that your votes are the most valuable in this world! The minute you give it away to any candidate, voila their assets are tripled, quadrupled or whatever!

The latest gem of the lot is Mayawati. Not only did she fill her state with statues of herself as well as elephants but we are also told that :

In the last two years, her assets have shot up by 24 crores. So how much is Mayawati worth exactly? 111 crores.


Behenji, as the former chief minister is known, has said she has 380 carats of diamonds, and one kilogram of gold. Together, these are worth just under a crore. Her silver dinner set, which weighs nearly 20 kgs, is worth 9 lakhs.


Her immovable assets - largely property - add upto 96 crores. This includes two shops in Delhi's Connaught Place, a home worth 62 crores on Sardar Patel Marg, one of Delhi's most sought-after neighbourhoods, and a home in Lucknow worth 15 crores.

In May 2010, her assets were worth 87 crores



Do you see that diamond necklace peeping out? Enjoy!



Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/mayawati-s-assets-worth-111-crores-she-has-380-carats-of-diamonds-185532&cp

What about the rest of the elected leaders? No reasons for worry since they have all been blessed by the votes. One is being pursued by the CBI, but since it involves more leaders this great nation can handle, we may soon see CBI wobble as usual.

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court today has said six ministers, all from the Congress, and eight bureaucrats from the Indian Administrative Service, should explain their alleged role in a case of corruption against politician Jagan Mohan Reddy.



Have you seen a more humble looking leader? The ultimate expression of humility and thankfulness!



Jaganmohan Reddy: Son of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YSR Reddy, Jaganmohan is perhaps one of the richest politicians in India, with declared assets of Rs 365 crore.

Jagan's wife Bharati owns assets worth a whopping Rs 4,133 crore. He owns houses, land and other property in Hyderabad, Kadapa and Bangalore. The 38-year-old businessman has interests in cement and power projects in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other states. He also owns Telugu daily Sakshi and the TV news channel by the same name. Interestingly, Jagan has no personal vehicle.

Now, have a look at these shots and identify with pride those whom you cast your precious vote.

But the icing of the cake is none other than the great Sonia Gandhi, though the Indian mainstream newspapers seem too “shy” to reveal it.

But will international one’s lie so blatantly?

If reports of a US based magazine 'Business Insider' are to be believed, AICC chief Sonia Gandhi is the fourth richest politician in the world. As per the reports, her assets worth $2-19 billion, which is about Rs 10,000-45,000 crore

 

As per the affidavit filed before the 2009 general elections, Sonia Gandhi has movable assets worth Rs 1.17 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 20 lakhs. Based on these information, Sonia's income can't be more than Rs 60 lakh per annual.

There she stands ever so demurely between the pictures of Putin and Michael Bloomberg

If this is so difficult to believe, specially since this great nation is estimated to have a third of the world's poor, then it is time to SUE these newspapers. Even otherwise, some of us refuse to believe the various scams that are sprouting each day like mushrooms after a good rain.

But come what may, none can take away the pride of living amongst some of the richest in this world, made so only by VOTES:)

Source:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India
http://luxuryfeed.com/pages/3066651-wealthiest-politicians-india
http://luxpresso.com/photogallery-lifestyle/these-are-the-richest-politicians-in-the-world/11496/3
http://www.gulte.com/news/5410/Sonia-Gandhi-is-Worlds-Fourth-Richest-Politician
http://luxpresso.com/photogallery-lifestyle/wealthiest-politicians-in-india/11445/5

The coding of dress

Another women’s day has passed and I wonder how many women around the world has yet again been asked to adhere to codes.

The other day had the opportunity to watch a bit of an open air debate hosted by a Malayalam TV channel. Since the channel was switched on, only towards the end of the discourse, I am not sure of either the subject of the debate or the identity of the main speakers (all females). I started watching when this middle aged woman from amongst the audience (there were only a few females) said something like this. “If this female was the centre of attraction because of her dress, then there needs to be a dress code to avoid harassment, rape etc.” and there was loud clapping from those gathered around. There was only this young man to shout back thus: “We have rape cases from a 3 month old to 70 year old woman and is it because of the lack of a dress code?” Obviously the lady had no proper reply to this valid question.

This was yet another instance where I couldn’t help telling hubby that it is the woman who is the greatest enemy of woman. I maybe wrong since in this case there was no proper representation of women amongst the audience. Hubby was only telling the truth when he said that a dress has nothing to do with losing control; those who lose control want no reason to do so. And today’s news points out that rape conviction are falling down. If rape continues, it is only because there is no proper punishment given to rapists and not because women are not covering up.

Shameful figures



In 1973, when the National Crime Records Bureau first published nationwide statistics on rape, 44.28% of perpetrators — almost half — were being convicted by trial courts. In spite of years of hard-fought struggles by women's rights groups, and landmark Supreme Court judgments, the conviction rate has fallen to 26.5% — just about a quarter. The decade-on-decade conviction rate has been in free fall: to 36.83% in 1983, 30.30% in 1993 and 26.12% in 2003.

Then there are some who evoke religion and says that the religious text tells that women ought to be dressed modestly so that men are not tempted to sin. How weak it sounds! If men are such weaklings then is it not better for them to banish every woman from their world and live in a world without them? And why does the onus of protecting such weaklings rest with the so called weak woman? How can the men depend on a weakling like a woman to save them from sinning! The strength of man!

It was only recently in Kerala that a lady standing in queue at the beverages outlet was manhandled. She it seems was forced by her alcoholic husband to do so. But the outraged morality of a few got out of hand and this poor lady along with her husband was beaten. There was none amongst them to protect this woman’s modesty. As for those who were buying the elixir, I am sure most of them are wasting their hard earned money while the families back home keep praying that the nightmare will stop one day. They have no qualms in driving their children and wife to desperation but their depraved sense of morality rises up when they see a woman standing in queue. Should women start drinking along with their men folks to get them thinking in the right path?

Anyway, let me wind up this rambling on Women by wishing the very best to Madhurani Tewatia, the wife of IPS officer Narendra Kumar who was killed by the mining mafia. I hope this nation stands by her in her fight.

“I will ensure it reaches a conclusive end,” Tewatia, a 2008-batch IAS officer, said.

Finally, Indians maybe valued by Indians

It was yesterday while listening to the news regarding the 2 fishermen who were killed by the Italians and how these men were being treated as special guests by the authorities (even when they have been charged for murder); I was wondering when an Indian will be valued by an Indian. One couldn’t avoid a wee bit of envy for the Italians while painfully watch every kind of Italian and Indian trying to get these marines out.

If this happens in the Indian soil it has been thus in other countries too. The Norwegian issue brought to light the pathetic existence of our embassies. When helpless children were taken away, the parents could turn to none. I think it has shamed a few and now SM Krishna is calling for accountability.

In Egypt for a three-day visit, Krishna asked Indian embassies and consulates to evolve new mechanisms to address grievances in a timely manner, during a meeting with Indian envoys to the Middle Eastern nations, here.


Complaints lodged by Indian nationals will be responded to quickly and ambassadors, in a new accountability system, will effectively monitor such complaints and responses by officials, he said.

Here in Kuwait, it is the Embassy of Philippines that the Indian Embassy ought to learn from. Every issue involving a citizen of Philippines has been dealt with utmost care and tough laws have been created to protect them.

After all, only when you value yourself will others value you.

An Award

Was surprised and honored to know that I have recieved an award from Renu; a blogger with loads of wisdom that she lovingly shares on her blog. I love the way she handles each subject & the comments that follows.

Liebster means beloved in German and this award is for spreading love among bloggers.


I am supposed to spread this love among other bloggers...


Rules for accepting the Liebster Blog award:


Link back to the person who gave you the award.

Pick 5 people deserving of the award and notify them on their blogs.

Post the award on your blog and spread the love.

Here are a few of my nominees.. and I am breaking the rules :)


Jon : a young idealist; this world needs a lot more of his kind.
Mad Madrasi: a no nonsense blogger

SM :  loads of unbiased opinion / information - a blogopedia

Manju: full of wisdom she blogs with love...

Seventh Chords; Swarna; mittaipink; Raji ; Kamini with a wish that they would blog more often.

Maddy; Anil; Doc;  with a wish that they never stop writing....

Let me stop even when I know there are many more blogs that I want to nominate..

The Italians in Kerala.

Over the years, Kerala has been host to various citizens from around the world. Some came to Kerala as refugees (Jews) while some as tradesmen/invaders/missionaries (Dutch, Portugese, Syrians and the list goes on). Almost all the Jews have left Kerala for good and the others have more or less disappeared as semi-Indians or have left the place. But it comes as a surprise to those in Kerala to still find die hard citizens from Italy!

Two Indian fishermen were shot to death by Italians for reasons only they know. The only plausible reason could be that they were drunk or were using them as targets for their practice shots. As for their claim that they mistook them for pirates, if they are indeed sailors or were guarding a ship, they should by now know the area where pirates roam freely. What if the Indian Navy had responded in kind since it was an unprovoked attack on Indian citizens? There were 9 fishermen in this boat and while 7 of them were resting, only two were fishing. And also a fisherman with a fishing rod has never been a threat to anyone and if people wielding guns and binoculars cannot properly identify threats then the only solution is to put such criminals behind bars.

And when the state is in the process of doing so, comes an Italian citizen hiding behind his Indian citizenship assuring Italy that he will do all his best to bring the innocent boys back to Italy. He even has the audacity to tell the Italians that he has already spoken to the Christian ministers. The only sane course of action would be to strip such idiots off their Indian citizenship and pack them off to Italy. But since they have the “laborious” task of tending their sheep, let them stand in queue for a visa and be denied a visa.

Right now everyone including the Chief Minister to the said Cardinal is denying this news. But the following is directly from the source. Fides news agency was formed to provide current news and images not only for publication in missionary magazines, but also for other press in all countries.

The Friar tells Fides what the atmosphere in Cochin is like: "People are pretty angry, but it is also stirred up by the media and politicians. The problem in public opinion is that this murder was seen as a national outrage. In any case it seems that the public outcry is decreasing. The fishermen killed were Catholics and the Catholic community feels touched. But this story has nothing to do with religion, one must not stimulate nationalism or religious sentiments. The only thing we hope is that the Church can bring a word of peace. I think that, after questioning, the case can be clarified and the Italian soldiers can be freed. It is only a matter of justice.

Now, how did this friar come to the conclusion that these Italian soldiers can be freed?


And today I read that the FIR filed by the police is in such a way that will aid the killers. Yes, they may go scot free while the poor family will have to struggle without the sole bread winner.

Mockery of justice is becoming all to common these days.

Source:
http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=31053&lan=eng

http://marunadanmalayalee.com/Italianship%20-67357.html

Jurassic Park?

It is with delight that I read the news that Russian scientists have grown a plant belonging to the ice age (30,000 years ago) by using the tissue from a fruit found buried in a squirrel’s burrow.

Source: nydailynews.com

"The squirrels dug the frozen ground to build their burrows, which are about the size of a soccer ball, putting in hay first and then animal fur for a perfect storage chamber," said Stanislav Gubin, one of the authors of the study, who spent years rummaging through the area for squirrel burrows. "It's a natural cryobank."

Now that this is possible, one can rest assured that no species of plant life will go extinct, if at least a part of it is preserved.

But what scared me were the following lines:

"If we are lucky, we can find some frozen squirrel tissue," Gubin told the AP. "And this path could lead us all the way to mammoth."


Japanese scientists are already searching in the same area for mammoth remains, but Gubin voiced hope that the Russians will be the first to find some frozen animal tissue that could be used for regeneration.

Sure, a mammoth may not be as scary as a dinosaur; but why should the scientists stop with a mammoth?

Scale diagram comparing the largest known dinosaurs in five major clades and a human

In the March 2005 issue of Science, the paleontologist Mary Higby Schweitzer and her team announced the discovery of flexible material resembling actual soft tissue inside a 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex leg bone from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana. After recovery, the tissue was rehydrated by the science team.[43]


When the fossilized bone was treated over several weeks to remove mineral content from the fossilized bone-marrow cavity (a process called demineralization), Schweitzer found evidence of intact structures such as blood vessels, bone matrix, and connective tissue (bone fibers). Scrutiny under the microscope further revealed that the putative dinosaur soft tissue had retained fine structures (microstructures) even at the cellular level. The exact nature and composition of this material, and the implications of Schweitzer's discovery, are not yet clear; study and interpretation of the material is ongoing.[43]

I guess one need not wait for a nuclear holocaust to end the current civilization; the dinosaurs may carry out this task more efficiently!

Source:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/russian-scientists-revive-ice-age-plant-article-1.1025943
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur

The greatest love of all

This morning while coming to work I listened (courtesy: Kuwait FM) to Whitney Houston sing “The Greatest love of all”. Her powerful voice rang out and I heard her sing...

The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

But then with sadness, I remembered that this truth did not help her.

We know that the life of a celebrity is not an easy one, but many singers we know have survived the madness of limelight.

Or is it because she could not let another help her?

Had she learned to depend only on her own self and thus lost the healing touch of others?

May she rest in peace while her songs continue to heal others.

"Greatest Love Of All"

I believe the children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be



Everybody's searching for a hero

People need someone to look up to

I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be

So I learned to depend on me



[Chorus:]

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows

If I fail, if I succeed

At least I'll live as I believe

No matter what they take from me

They can't take away my dignity

Because the greatest love of all

Is happening to me

I found the greatest love of all

Inside of me

The greatest love of all

Is easy to achieve

Learning to love yourself

It is the greatest love of all



I believe the children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be



[Chorus]



And if, by chance, that special place

That you've been dreaming of

Leads you to a lonely place

Find your strength in love






Source:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/whitneyhouston/greatestloveofall.html
http://www.nme.com/news/whitney-houston/62042

I am HAPPY!

And why?

Because I am an INDIAN!

Says who?

Says Ipsos, the 3rd global market research company.

Ipsos began tracking happiness in the 24 countries in 2007 conducting it twice annually until March 2010 when the survey became monthly. Examining the timeframe between April 2007 and October 2011 invites the question: are we happier now than we were then?

But since I am in the age group (35-49), I am supposed to be less happier than those who are under the age of 35 (25%)  and as I grow older, I may not be happier!

ISPOS also found that it is citizens in Europe who drag the global average assessment of happiness downward as only one in six (15%) say they are ‘very happy’.

Cheers!

I finally found my Rosy

Not sure what has come over blogger.com. Not only am I getting unwanted traffic from sites like localhost and such others but I am also losing comments that I post on other blogs. The other day I almost lost my blog! Since I did not have a recent backup of my blog, it was a shocking moment. Luckily all I had to do was log into my account- but the problem with the pishing sites is still there. Upon googling I find that it is not only me who is facing this problem. The unwanted attention is mostly from Bulgaria.


Anyway I am very happy today since I finally found the book!

It was a book that captured my heart and imagination during my school days. But I have no idea how it came into my hands. I do not think it was from my mother's collection since I have not seen it again. It could have been from the local club or the school library. All I could remember was Rosy the elephant whose antics the author had written so well. I checked for the author among the humor genre but couldn’t locate this book. Since it was an animal story, I wondered if it was James Herriot and ended up reading much about him but couldn’t find this particular book. Finally the author's name popped up from a blog post and suddenly I knew my search was over. I had found my Rosy. But since much has changed over the years, do I want to read this book again? Will it give me the same pleasure?

Wikepedia says Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell, OBE (January 7, 1925 – January 30, 1995) was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter. He was born in Jamshedpur, and reportedly recalled his first visit to a zoo in India and attributed his life-long love of animals to that encounter.

Durrell's growing disillusionment with the way zoos of the time were run, and his belief that they should primarily act as reserves and regenerators of endangered species, made him contemplate founding his own zoo. His 1957 trip to Cameroon for the third and last time was primarily to collect animals which would form the core collection of his own zoo. This expedition was also filmed, Durrell's first experiment with making a cinematographic record of his work with animals. The success of the film To Bafut with Beagles, together with his popular and autobiographical radio programme Encounters with Animals, made Durrell a regular with the BBC Natural History unit for decades to come, as well as generating much-needed funds for his conservation projects.

“Rosy is my relative” was one of the only three novels that he wrote. It is about an elephant bequeathed to Adrian (protagonist of the novel) by an uncle.

The author’s note says the following:

ALTHOUGH MANY PEOPLE will not believe me, I would like to place it on record that this is an almost true story. By this I mean that Rosy and Adrian Rookwhistle really did exist. I had the privilege of meeting Rosy myself. Nearly all the adventures described in this book really happened. I have merely embroidered and polished here and there.

Rosy stole my heart right from the time she landed at Adrian’s home and continues to give me a warm feeling. Gerald must have developed his love for elephants during his stay in India.

An excerpt from the novel:

“There she is,” said the carter, with satisfaction, “and she’s all yours.”




“It can’t be,” said Adrian faintly, “it can’t be mine . . . I don’t want an elephant.”


“Now look ’ere,” said the carter with some asperity, “I’ve travelled all night, see, to bring this ruddy animal to you. You’re Mr. A. Rookwhistle, therefore she’s your animal.”


Adrian began to wonder if the shocks he had already received that morning had unhinged his mind. It was bad enough having to cope with an acrobat, without finding himself suddenly saddled with, of all things, an elephant. Then, suddenly, he had an awful suspicion.


“What’s its name?” he asked hoarsely.


“Rosy,” said the carter, “leastways, that’s what they told me.”


At the sound of her name the elephant swayed to and fro gently and uttered a small squeak, like the mating cry of a very tiny clarinet. She was shackled inside the dray by two chains padlocked round her front legs, and they made a musical clanking noise when she moved. She stretched out her trunk seductively towards Adrian and blew a small puff of air at him. Oh God, thought Adrian, I’d much rather it was a drunken acrobat.

Let me get back to my long lost friend Rosy.

 

And the people won!

It was with much relief that I read the following news:

US lawmakers have indefinitely postponed votes on two anti-piracy bills following a massive outcry against the proposed legislation by internet companies, such as Wikipedia, Facebook and Red Hat.

The two bills under question are the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate, and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, these acts are aimed at stopping internet users accessing non-US websites that feature pirated or counterfeit content, such as music and movies.

"We appreciate that lawmakers have listened to our community's concerns, and we stand ready to work with them on solutions to piracy and copyright infringement that will not chill free expression or threaten the economic growth and innovation the Internet provides," a Facebook spokesman told Reuters.

It would have been a nightmare if SOPA and PIPA bills were passed.

It would be the slow death of internet; specially sites like Google, wikepedia etc.

For sure, life would go on since most of us had a life before internet and Google. We may have a bit of peace too since we wouldn’t be bombarded with so much news and views. But what troubled me was the question.. what is the real intention behind such acts? This question became even more ominous when one realized that even the Indian government was trying to curb the flow of information between citizens. We had a judge asking this chilling question:

If it can be done in China why not in India?

Our constitution guarantees us the following:

Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship.

If the liberty to think and express our thoughts is curtailed then is not my nation an autocratic regime?

But the US citizens knows what freedom really means and their protest was strong enough to influence the law makers, whereas, was there any mass protest in India?

Is it because the internet is accessible only to a small percentage of Indians and hence there was not much to bother?

If this is so, then why the hue and cry?

In fact, the hue and cry was not because religious sentiments were hurt but because the government could not bear criticism, especially when another Lok Sabha election is not far away.
Who wants a government who do not want to change for the better?

Who wants a government who seeks more power to curtail the freedom of speech and thought?


The article from Firstpost.com sums up the internet policing pretty well.


I also read the speech by Justice Markandey Katju, chairman of the Press Council of India, at Jawaharlal Nehru University on November 14, 2011. It may not go well with many when he calls most of us immigrants. But is there not truth in what he says?

The Indian civilization stood for so long not only because it was an open society but because the civilization itself was strong. It was not a toddler but an adult. Different cultures found way into India and sometimes brutally but it was strong enough to embrace/accept the good in each.

He asks the following question.

Why have people been coming into India? Very few people left India, except on two occasions namely (i) in the 19th century when under British rule Indian poor peasants were sent to Fiji, Mauritius, West Indies, etc. as plantation labourers and (ii) the Diaspora for the last 30-40 years or so of highly qualified engineers, scientists, doctors, etc. Apart from this, nobody left India, everybody came into India. Why?

The reason is obvious. People migrate from uncomfortable areas to comfortable areas, obviously, because everybody wants comfort. Before the Industrial Revolution which started in Western Europe from the 18th century and then spread all over the world there were agricultural societies everywhere. Now what does agriculture require? It requires level land, fertile soil, plenty of water for irrigation, etc. All this was in abundance in the Indian sub continent.

One can read more in the website kgfindia.com. It is called the Khalidas Ghalib Foundation and  aims to To Foster National & Social transformation for a Progressive, Modern & Culturally Aware India.


Another Republic Day  has come and yet another day for the nation to take the pledge that it would unceasingly strive to maintain a Sovereign Democratic Republic India.

Wish everyone a Happy Republic Day and may our nation prosper in the right path.

Changing times

As one grows older, relationship with your relatives keeps changing. Certain experience forces one to change one’s views drastically, however it may hurt you. A part of you dies, eternally. It must be similar to the grief one feels when someone very close to you dies.  Anyway, it is neither about grief nor about relationship that I wanted to pen on my blog today. It is about an attire that will soon disappear from a section of the society in Kerala. It was brought to my mind when I remembered my maternal grandmother who continues to hold a special place in my heart. She was a very strong lady and her memories continue to give me strength during the dark days of my life. Although she lost her elder son in his prime age, it never turned her into a bitter woman. She became only more strong and more nurturing.


During a certain era, the Christian ladies in Kerala used to wear only the "Mundu and Chatta". While the origin of it is still in dispute, some say this tradition dates back to the time of the Jewish settlement in Kerala, while there is also some who say that it was brought to Kerala by the Portugese. But then, it is also similar to the Indian sari. The white “Mundu” is about 7 yards in length and covers the lower part from the waist while a form of blouse(in white) with a “V” shaped neck covered the upper part of the body. A piece of cloth called "Neriyathu" (similar to the pallav of the sari) decorated with threads of gold is normally worn over the blouse while going out of the house. This will be gathered on the shoulder with the help of a brooch or a safety pin. The famous singer Usha Uthup can be seen wearing the same in the following photo. It is from the only Malayalam movie that she acted in, where she plays the part of a Christian lady.

Usha Uthup in the movie "Pothenvava"




An old picutre of a Christian Couple from Kerala

 

One can see the "Njori" or the fan like piece in this picture of an old lady of Kerala

I have seen both my maternal and paternal grandmothers wearing the “Chatta and Mundu”. While my maternal grandmother sometimes used to wear a sari too, at home I have seen both my grandmothers wear only this attire. Since I was more close to my maternal grandmother and since it is with her that I have spent more time, I have watched her wearing it too. She was very quick with the “njori” or the fan like pleats that was tucked into the back of the mundu. During her later years, I have helped her with this. The “neriyathu” or the “pallav” was worn only while going out. But neither my mother nor my MIL has ever worn this dress and for sure I shall never wear it too. I do not think my children have seen many wearing it too. I think the Christian girls of a bygone era started wearing this once they reached a certain age and then never got to try anything else.

While I may lament about lost traditions, I am happy that the women from my part of the world are free to wear any dress of their choice; whatever may be their age.

Source:
http://nasrani.net/2007/10/07/a-syrian-christian-family-portrait-circa-1620-ad/

http://www.keralafashions.com/keralafashions_fashionhistory_christian.htm

FA's and SA's

One more FA is over and I am exhausted!

 But do I have time to breathe? No… soon will come another SA to give the mother of all tensions.


School was okay (for me) until CBSE started the new system called CCE.

C – Continuous

C – Comprehensive

E – Evaluation


The school year is now divided into two semesters and the student is supposed to be evaluated continuously. Evaluated not only for his knowledge on a subject but also in other areas.

Picture Courtesy: http://cce.icbse.com/cbse-cce-system/

Earlier one could save all the tension for the the end of year ; but not so now. CBSE had only good intentions I am sure, but I have already started to dread this system. Our children, I believe are having fun since they have lots of activities to do, cooking being one of them.

Our daughter (she is in 10th now) keeps changing her answer to “what to do you want to do after the 12th” question. Since she loves interior designing, it used to be B.Arch but recently her biology teacher tried to instill into the students the merits of biology and she is not sure if she will like bio-technology. Maybe a dietician, she asks? According to this teacher, Architects these days are begging for jobs. I kept repeating that it is better to choose the subject that you are good at and to select a job that you will love to do. She is still not sure, not that I have any idea either!



As for son (in 9th std), from the time he understood that he needs to do something after 12th there was only one answer; “join the Indian army”. Daughter continues to maintain that it is only because of the war games that he plays and that he has no idea what he is talking! She says he is obsessed with India and is forever trying to educate her on the merits of his country. I believe, the only way to cure him would be to send him to India. Let him learn to love his country the real way.



But if I remember, it only seemed yesterday that we sent both of them to the nursery. Although daughter was the independent kind, it was she who cried the most on her first day to school, while our son who I thought was very shy, took like a fish to the water on the first day itself. The ensuing years were fine but now that they have reached the crucial years, like every parent I am very apprehensive.


What does the future hold for them?


Are they fit to face this world?



Today I read an excellent article by Professor B. M. Hegde:

Education today in our country has not only lost its heart; it seems to have lost its direction and goal. It is a sad situation for the future generation. Well-meaning people in society are keeping quiet. The powers that be, who ought to know better, seem to be either ignoramuses or they couldn't care less! The following case history will showcase one of the major areas where modern education, especially at the primary level, nay at all levels, is going astray to the detriment of mankind's future.

The teacher, like a midwife, should assist the student in delivering, and not deliver herself. “Every child is a genius only to be converted into an idiot in school,” wrote Nobel Laureate Alexis Carrel. Education should aim at making healthy minds and not just making wealthy careers. Here, society needs to be thoroughly deschooled to get rid of the obsession with marks and ranks in place of healthy education.

Now that I have rid of my worries (not obsessed)  with marks for the time being,  let me wind up this post in peace :)

A VERY HAPPY and PROSPEROUS Year 2012

Let me wish everyone in this wonderful world...



 A VERY HAPPY and PROSPEROUS Year 2012..



Read this news from Kuwait and felt very happy..

Cassia trees to beautify Kuwait’s landscape – KISR introduces flowering trees

KUWAIT: New flowering ornamental trees that can tolerate the climate in Kuwait have been discovered after two years of research by Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). The project was funded by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).



KISR says the lack of flowering trees in the landscape of Kuwait can be overcome through the systematic introduction of new flowering ornamental trees such as Cassia Fistula and Cassia Nodosa. These trees produce colorful flowers for a long duration and are tolerant to hot arid climates.


The objectives of the project were to introduce seeds of Cassia Fistula and Cassia Nodosa to Kuwait, to determine the suitability of their utilization in landscape beautification, to develop cultural practices for the production of trees planted from seeds and to determine their growth requirements.

 Hopefully one shall get to see the following scene very soon...

Picture courtesy: http://razarumi.com/2008/06/16/my-amaltas-tree/