Amazing Photograph of Dubai Sky Scrapers

Hero and Ultra Part ways

As per the following news article, Hero Group and the Ultra Motoros from UK have parted ways.

Ultra is planning to launch its electric vehicles under its own brand name.
It also plans to bring out motorcycles !!! These motor cycles plan to see the light of the day by next fiscal year.

I, for one, would be eagerly awaiting the launch of better electric vehicles... I have started putting aside money for my electric vehicle... :). I have already decided. My next 2 wheeler will be an electric vehicle and my next 4 wheeler would most probably be a hybrid car (electric + fuel cell + ethenol). I will wait till I get the hybrid car of my choice.

I plan to wait for another year for my electric 2-wheeler. By that time even Hero, TVS would have come out with their models. There would be more competition and clarity about the electric vehicles by that time...

For more informaiton on Ultra's vehicles one can log onto:
http://www.ultramotor.co.uk/India/index.aspx


There is an india centric website for electric vehicles where one can have a look at various electric models in the indian market
http://www.evfuture.com/



Regarding news clip of Ultra parting with hero, you can look at the following news items:
http://www.bike-eu.com/news/2796/hero-and-ultra-motor-parted-ways.html
http://www.ultramotor.co.uk/userfiles/News_11042008_252_151.jpg
http://www.ultramotor.co.uk/userfiles/News_11042008_25_150.jpg
(all 3 links have the same news Item.. I know I know :). Just wanted to give more choice of sites in case one of them is down)

Govt mulling on Cess on Income tax to combat crude price Hike

From what I hear and read, Government of India is mulling of imposing a cess on the income tax to combat rising crude oil price !!!

Not fair not fair !!!!

Whenever the govt needs to correct its wrong doing the first thing it does is to tax the Middle Class.

Govt does not want to reduce customs and excise duty on fuel. It does not want to increase the fuel price supposedly because it hurts the normal man BUT surprise surprise they will impose a cess on income tax to offset the loss !!!!!
what an idea sirji !!!

By imposing a cess on the income tax you are penalizing the salaried people and high income people. If you earn more you pay more tax so if your tax outgo is more your cess will also increase. So rich people and middle class pay for the rise in crude prices !!! how fair is that !!!

On the other hand if they had increased the fuel price, everyone in India had to pay the increased cost of fuel thereby there would have been an unrest among the people and the people in the lower income group would have come on the streets against the price hike. So govt finds a safest option... put a cess on the middle class and the high income people. IRRESPECTIVE of how much petrol one consumes, if their salary is high they pay more cess !!!!! what a logic !!!!'

After 5-6 years when we look back at our handling of the inflation and our reaction to global crude price rise we will cringe and Shudder at our lack of political will to rise the price of petrol. We will demean the political system for failing to rise the oil price and to pass on the burden to the right people. But alas whats the use of dissecting a lost battle. We never learn right !!!

Amazing MR. FM amazing !!!

[Addendum] : When I read the below article, I gave a sigh of relief..
http://in.rediff.com/money/2008/may/28oil1.htm
cess might not be introduced after all. I hope there is status quo on Cess. Else It will be a very bad proposal and a wrong precedent.

Phoenix starts sending pictures

I was woken up to the day's newspaper with the images taken from the martian surface by the phoenix mars lander.

It is always exciting to have a look at the world next to you, however barren or mundane it appreas !!!
I was excited to see the pictures in the newspaper.

The following link has lot of images taken by phoenix after it landed on Mars...
http://fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=0&cID=8



http://fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=434&cID=8 gives a view of the surrounding area.



For more information on phoenix you can have a look at wiki website for phoenix:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(spacecraft)

Mission of phoenix is to find microbes and evidence of water on Martian soil. I hope that they are successful in their mission.

Energy Crisis: Part 4: Oil Bonds !!!!

I read the following article on Oil Bonds. This gives an insight into what is an Oil Bond. Why they are issued and what is their impact on our nation.

http://in.rediff.com/money/2008/may/22guest.htm

Paradox of our Time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember: spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

=====Message Ends Here================


Contrary to polular belief that this was written by George Charlin. It was infact written by Dr. Moorehead who was a minister, pastor of a church in Washington and was later publishhed in his book called: WORDS APTLY SPOKEN.

Mission Statement

In the Second Chapter of Franklin Covey's 7 Habbits of Highly Effective people, he suggests the reader to have a mission statement. A statement which does not change with time, place and Circumstances. A statement which reflects what my various roles in life are, and what I want to be in life. A statement which acts like ones religion and guiding factor. A script that is written by me and enacted by me. A testament that does not change. A core of my life. A set of guidelines which I intend to follow.

It took me about a day to complete my Mission Statement. There are 3 parts to my Mission Statement.
(A) My Role.
(B) What I want to be.
(C) What I want to do.

My Role: I play various roles in life, a husband, a father, an employee, bread earner etc.
What I want to be: This explains what I want to be in each of the roles given above
What I want to do: This explains what I will do to achive my Mission (i.e. what I want to be)...

I am going to write only the first 2 parts i.e. My Role and What I want to be. The third part i.e. What I want to do is kind of very personal. So I plan to keep it to myself.

So My Mission Statement is below:

1. Husband: I want to be a loving and caring husband who cares for her wife. Someone who can be relied upon in the time of need. Someone who will put her needs before his needs and fulfill all her desires.

2. Student: I want to be a masters degree holder

3. Father: I want to be a father who lives by setting examples. Someone to whom my kids will look up for. Someone who will be a guiding factor.

4. Employee: I want to be a valued employee in the organization who can be relied upon in the time of need. I want to be a team player. I want to be a person who will try his best in an earnest desire to learn and adapt to the given task in my job. If I do not understand something I will not hesitate to ask people for help.

5. Learner: I want to be a knowledgeable person in my field.

6. Money Maker: I want to be a person who utilizes his hard earned money properly. Who will divide his money appropriately for the various needs and desires and invest his money accordingly.

7. Friend: I want to be a friend in need.

Franklin Covey : A big thank you

hi Franklin,

It gives me immense pleasure to tell you that I have benefited greatly from your book "7 Habits of highly effective people". I have gone through the first 2 chapters of your book and I find a change in my behavior and attitude. I find a change in my approach to life. I feel I am changing for the better.

A big thank you for writing such a wonderful book.

I will treasure this book and strive to complete the book at the earliest. And I know I will referring to the book again and again throughout my life.

Regards,
Amit

Energy Crisis : Part 3: U.S. to suspend oil reserve shipments

U.S. to suspend oil reserve shipments.
Crude still closes at new record as Saudis shut down Bush and Goldman Sachs predicts much higher pricesNEW YORK- The government said Friday that it would halt deliveries to the strategic oil reserves in July, a move many lawmakers have been calling for in an attempt to boost oil supplies and bring down gas prices. Oil prices eased a bit from pervious highs, but still settled at a new closing record of $126.29 a barrel as Saudi Arabia rejected a plea from President Bush to boost production and Goldman Sachs revised their price outlook sharply higher.The U.S. Energy Department announcement comes several days after Congress voted to direct the Bush administration to stop the shipment of oil to the emergency reserves. The Energy Department decided not to purchase oil for the reserve from July to December in case the bill becomes law, said Megan Barnett, a spokeswoman for the department.The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, located underground at four sites in the salt caverns bordering the Gulf of Mexico, was built in the 1970s after the first oil embargo to protect the country against a sudden drop in oil supplies.The Bush administration has been filling the reserve since 2001, boosting the reserve from about 540 million barrels to 702.7 million, enough to protect against a disruption in imports for about 58 days, said Barnett.Barnett remained skeptical of the halt's effect, saying deliveries to the strategic reserve accounts for 'less than one tenth of one percent' of the oil on the market.'The amount of oil put in the SPR last week... we trade that in less than one minute,' said Tom Kloza, the Oil Price Information Service's chief oil analyst.But supporters say halting shipment to the reserve could bring down gas prices by as much as 24 cents a gallon. Saudi Arabia rebuffs Bush: Earlier on Friday, oil had risen more than $3 a barrel as Saudi Arabia rejected President Bush's call to increase production, saying there wasn't enough demand from its customers.Bush met with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Friday as part of his Middle East tour to appeal for greater production to help quell crippling fuel prices.According to the Associated Press, Saudi oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, said the kingdom decided on May 10 to raise production by 300,000 barrels, at the request of customers, and that increase was sufficient. 'Supply and demand are in balance today,' he told a news conference. 'How much does Saudi Arabia need to do to satisfy people who are questioning our oil practices and policies?'Some analysts have attributed the recent surge in oil prices to fears about future oil supplies, not a current supply shortage. They say there won't be enough oil in a few years to satisfy soaring worldwide demand. Crude began to rise early Friday after traders foresaw a jump in diesel fuel use following the earthquake in China and Goldman Sachs revised its price outlook sharply higher.Oil prices: U.S. crude for June delivery rose $2.17 a barrel to settle at $126.29 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a new closing record. That topped the previous closing record of $125.96, set May 9.Crude also hit a new intraday record of $127.82, topping the previous intraday record of $126.98 set May 14.'Everything the market looks at is bullish,' Peter Beutel, an oil analyst at Cameron Hanover, wrote in a research note Friday.Also pushing up prices Friday were fears of higher demand from China. Traders fear that the rebuilding after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that rocked southwest China Monday - and killed more than 20,000 people with tens of thousands of others still missing - will lead to a sharp increase in diesel fuel use, the Associated Press reported.

Chetan Bhagat Amitkeerti and Mahatma Gandhi

I am sure the 3 names in the subject line taken together do not make any sense.
And I am sure you are wondering how on earth are they linked...

Well...
Today I was reading an interview on Chetan Bhagat in rediff website.

complete interview is present at:
http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2008/may/15video1.htm

During the interview he says and I quote from rediff:
"The critical reviews are not there? Ok, fine. Why should I give them so much of my time, when there are millions of people who love me? Why not I try to make the people who love me happier, rather than the people who don't love me, and try to win them over? (My fans) are important to me because they made me. Today, you're (amit: you meaning the journalist...)sitting here because of my fans, only. They are everything to me. They are my muscles"

For some reason after reading this piece of interview, my mind wandered towards Mahatma Gandhi...
During his struggle and during the period between 1942 - 48 He was constantly trying to woo Mohammad ali Jinnah. He knew his fans (Hindus) were always with him, but he was rather uncomfortable that his critic (Jinnah) was never with him. So mahatma Gandhi tried in vain to try to woo his critic (Jinnah) to come in his fold. I think this erked one of his fans (Nathuram Godse). Probably Nathuram could not take the fact that Mahatma was so much engrossed with his critic that he forgot his fans. In this fit of desperation/anger/hopelessness he must have pulled the trigger ending the life of the Sage of Ahimsa.

In my mind one connected thought pricks me...
As Chetan Bhagat says... Why should I worry about my Critics... I should be more worried about my fans...
What if Mahatma had thought on the same lines...
History would have been entirely different !!!

Energy Crisis - Part 2

This is an interview with Subir raha former Chairman of ONGC which was done by CNBC TV18 on 9th of may.

You can read the actual interview at:
http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/business/oil-subsidy-sharing-formula-decided-arbitrarily-subir-raha/16/23/337459

Copy pasting the same interview here...

Q: What you think about ONGC subsidy-sharing bill because our estimates are it could go up as high as Rs 50,000 crore. Is it likely that ONGC has to dish out such a large subsidy-sharing bill and do you see that 33% subsidy sharing formula being tweaked as well, the way crude is behaving?
A: Firstly the formula is purely an arbitrage decision, so 33% or 65% is anybody’s guess because there is no logic in working out these numbers. As far as ONGC or any other company is concerned, there are two major risks involved. One, is the financing for the exploration investments that always exists in the balance sheet and second is the overseas acquisitions - the corporate guarantees are given on ONGC balance sheets. So at any point if the ONGC balance sheet reaches a point where exploration risks can’t be taken or the corporate grants can’t be given, then you will have a major problem in both sustaining exploration and in overseas acquisitions. As far as downstream companies are concerned it is a question of their ability to honour the letters for credit for imports, which are going on crude and products. We have a clean record of never defaulting on any payment but once that happens, the credit ratings could go for a six.

Q: What’s the way out of it? Do you think it will be just another issue of oil bonds? Could it be a retail price hike or do you think the government will lean on ONGC kind of companies to share more of the bill and the burden?
A: Oil bonds are just pieces of paper, this is like borrowing from future generation to enjoy today. So issuing more and more oil bonds would not make a difference to the three issue; namely ONGC’s ability to sustain exploration risk, overseas acquisition and their downstream compensability to finance the crude and product imports.
We have a house of cards which is administrative pricing; we have administered pricing now for almost 30-35 years, but the difference between the administered prices and the international prices after taking the dollar rupee parity is getting wider and wider and is already unsustainable.
If we keep on this issue which supposedly a political issue of not raising prices beyond a point, we are creating all kinds of problems. I am afraid one fine morning somebody will have to pay a price and that will be all of us as customers because we take the supply of petrol, diesel and everything else for granted. One does not worry about going to a petrol pump and getting petrol or diesel today but if that worry comes in then I am afraid we will be in for serious issues.

Q: That is the point because last year the rupee was on our side which is why the under recovery impact was not that hard given the way things have moved with the currency this year, where do you see the under recoveries heading - the ballpark figure is that it could double but do you think it could get worse than that?
A: It is very difficult to take a guess on that, because that is predicated on the crude price. When this UPA government came to power, crude was at USD 37/bbl. Today it is over USD 124/bbl. Come December we could be looking at USD 150/bbl or USD 180/bbl or whatever number. As those numbers change, the under-recoveries of subsidies could keep on increasing as even the prices remain controlled at these kind of levels. So it is very difficult to make the prediction.

Q: The equity market has been quite positive on one private player. The theory being that with every dollar to a barrel increase there is going to be an increase in terms of price per share. But do you think all this is predicated on how successful explorations are and where do you think that story is headed. I am sure you know I am talking about Cairn?
A: In the last three-four years a lot of people in India, I think are thinking of becoming Sheikhs, going on from camels to limousines. The businesses are little more complicated than that. The lifting costs, the finding costs are very high and there are a number of issues when you talk about coal pricing. But the major point is that even on New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) pricing is sacrosanct and will not be touched. What you will be seeing is that there are efforts to change the contracts and sign contracts on one’s own sanctity and these are contracts which were signed over seven rounds.
So today for somebody to invest in Energy Production (ENP) and even if one makes a discovery I don’t think one is really looking at building palaces and making Sheikhs so easily. There are far too many things which are open for change and change without notice and without valid reasons so to say.

Q: Since retail price hike looks unlikely because of inflation and political considerations, do you think additional burden could be put on ONGC’s head because at least that is a company which generates cash, which cannot be said of any other company in the oil sector?
A: Probably that would be the easiest and most obvious option. But this has been going on now for more than five-years or even more and the government has been saying that we own these companies so it is up to us to decide what to do with the balance sheet of the company. As of now ONGC has been able to retain their fundamentals to a large extent. It is a zero-debt company and they have significant cash reserves. That’s why they are in a position to sustain their capital investments and exploration risks. It’s a golden goose. The point is to what extent you go before you kill the golden goose.

Q: Where does all these leave the oil-marketing companies if things get as dire as you indicated and there are defaults on payments? Where do you think that whole space will go?
A: We are talking of a very specific issue of what you take as energy securities or oil securities in specific. Everybody takes availability of petrol and diesel for granted. The country is running a genset economy, it is being powered by diesel. We are import dependent by more than 70%. If you take gas, it is entirely import-dependent today, the LNG part of it. As we need more and more energy, we will have to import more. There are countries, which import 100% of energy and they have very sustainable and thriving economies. So import per say is not an issue. The issue is do you have a sustainable total framework of oil supply and pricing and distribution, which you don’t have. We are presently the only country in the world with a major economy who has this totally unsustainable dogmatic controls on oil pricing, distribution and industry. No other country has this kind of a situation.

Q: Do you wonder sometime why we do charades from time to time of setting up committees to make recommendations for dismantling Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) and having proactive and reform oriented oil policies or fuel policies in the country. There was one a few months back - Rangarajan Committee- and a lot of fuss were made about it?
A: I think at some point we should do a ten-year review. In the1997 Cabinet decision, the government had decided on a very clear, clean and logical policy on dismantling, control pricing and having an open and sustainable economy which is totally integrated to the global economy. 1997 to 2002 was the timeframe; 2002 came and went and we are aware of today what we were at pre ‘97 because at least pre ’07 we knew that we have our administered pricing mechanism. Today we talk about dismantling APM but what we do actually is APM compounded.
This is a charade, there have been N-number of committees and everyone understands what is happening but we talk about political compulsions. We have elections going on-- Panchayat, Municipal, or State Elections. So you will never have time when you can sit back and say now there is no election and we can really go for opening up the oil sector. That’s not going to happen.

Energy Crisis. People WAKE UP !!!!

If one were waiting for the D day (dooms day), it has arrived...
Crude has crossed its threshold... at $120 a barrel it is not bearable...
Now Since crude is a traded commodity, $120 per barrel might not be the price that actually reflects its true value for the day, but one cannot deny the fact that the Nymex rate is binding on all countries....
$120 purely is a greed factor playing out...

People throughout the world are feeling the Pinch...
But Surprise Surprise the aam junta of India is least bit bothered. And why would they be... We get petrol at an administered price !!!!! We are not bothered !!! Even though the price of crude has gone from $35 dollars per barrel to $120, Our purchasing price has stayed put... why should we feel the pinch... Govt issues Oil bonds to artifically maintain the price BECAUSE supposedly the aam junta will take to streets if price of petrol is increased. So issue credits to oil companies promising them money to keep the petrol price under control... on the other hand, DONT give this incentive to private oil marketing companies, so if they try to raise price because they do not get oil bonds, people will not buy petrol as the petrol sold by private companies is costly...

So,
(1) Artifically maintain the price of petrol at a very low level
(2) Issue oil bonds to public oil marketing companies to compensate for the loss...
(3) DONT issue the bonds to private companies and let them suffer... ultimately scuttle them
(4) Not allow the junta to realize the fact that petrol INDEED costs more, there by allow the junta to use it as they like...
(5) Election time !! How can we increase the petrol price and reduce our chances of winning next elections!


Where are we heading !!!
If this is not an energy bubble then what is ????
If this is not pairon pe kulhadi maron situation then what is ???


In the interest of the nation, isnt it time to wake up ? Isnt it time to introspect ?
Isnt time to sit and take notice of what is going on ? Shouldnt we act responsibly...

I will try to post a set of articles on this issue. The articles would involve a range of topics related to energy. All will have the tag Energy Crisis.

Length of Arm, legs linked to memory loss !!!!

Below is an article I read in TimesOfIndia on 7th May 2008. Read this and tell me does it make sense !!!
Scientists study 2798 people concentrating only on their Length of Arm and Legs and come to such conclusions!!!! Amazing !!!

Please read the article below.... (copy pasting from TOI 7th May2008. Can be accessed from epaper.timesofindia.com and open the International Page)


Length of arms, legs linked to memory loss
Chicago: Having short arms and legs may raise a person’s risk of developing memory problems later in life, US researchers said on Monday. They said women with the shortest arm spans were 50% more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than women with longer arm spans. And the longer a woman’s leg from floor to knee, the lower her risk for dementia. In men, only a shorter arm span was linked with higher dementia risk, according to the study. The researchers said several studies have suggested that early life environment plays a role in susceptibility to chronic disease in later life. Short limbs may be a sign of nutritional deficits early in life that play a role in brain development. “Body measures such as knee height and arm span are often used as biological indicators of early life deficits, such as a lack of nutrients,” said Tina Huang of Tufts University in Boston, who led the study. Other studies have found a link between limb length and dementia in populations in Asia, and Huang wanted to see if the trend would hold true in a US population, where 80% of height is thought to be inherited. She and colleagues studied 2,798 people for an average of five years and took knee height and arm span measurements. Most people in the study were white, with an average age of 72. By the end of the study, 480 had developed dementia. “We found that shorter knee heights and arm spans were associated with an increased risk of dementia,” Huang and colleagues wrote. REUTERS

duduk - My latest fad

While looking for yanni's nostalgia, I stumbled upon an interesting composition of yanni which involved an armenian instrument called duduk.

After hearing the composition, i have fallen in love with duduk. Its an amazing instrument which creates one of the most soothing music I have ever heard.

You feel as if you are swimming in a pool of water and someone is gently massaging you.

Below are some of the most amazing duduk compositions...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U79esEAO7kk (MY favourite !!!)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oDRCk5lnkQc (MY favourite !!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnz4m-os9N0 (MY favourite !!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfAjZPSkmIU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcJJ9FfmRMs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPN5n6yF9gA


Levon Minassian Composition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e41R7GIuJts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OBJdAzvYS8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7B7PuUC3MM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4xajJZVrmE


Vache Hovsepyan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbCoAacELgY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoT28Xiwuso



few more duduk compositions are below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMKZ6BpTJFU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S-pkXIMGM8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGcO5XoslMU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KHklVFLIaM&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYg-grrkbHY&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdE6HE--4uA (dont think this is duduk though...)


Pedro Eustache performance
http://youtube.com/watch?v=szm4Ro8EDg8

man vs wild Fraud

Initially I was impressed with the way the Guy in Man vs Wild tried to fight the wild to survive till I saw these videos on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fLWGWIctQU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXtBTWk4Atw

ahh!!!! how sad !!! the videos broke my heart...