In India, Even Gods Are Going Hungry

Poor Struggle to Donate to Temples as Food Prices Skyrocket

Check out this story from Washington Post today. All's not well around the world. India and China - countries that are often held up as examples of rising standards of living are facing problems. Rampant inflation, specially for energy and food have begun to impact the fragile economies - much of which is reliant on the an abundant supply of cheap labor pool.

What you did is not as important as what you'll do next

You might have seen this Accenture advertisement already. It's amazing though how many different things you could apply it to. Truly, a brilliant advertisement.

Spring's in the air

The smell of spring, warm days, kite flying, ah-chooo! Yes, it's been that kind of weekend.

Energy efficiency needs more than hybrids, solar and wind

We often get too focused on panaceas for problems facing us. Case in point is the energy crisis. Improving fuel efficiency of cars will only go so far. That is when you get these Eureka moments like this study from the Pacific Institute.

The Pacific Institute estimates that in 2006: * Producing the bottles for American consumption required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil, not including the energy for transportation * Bottling water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide * It took 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water

The American fascination with bottled water - this in a nation that should pride itself on the best tap water availability anywhere in the world is taking a big toll on its energy independence. Plastic bags in supermarkets and grocery stores are another area of concern.

But before you start running out and replace plastic bags with paper - think about this - that paper is coming from a felled tree! So what is the solution - consider "moderation", "thriftiness" and other such words that have fallen out of our vocabulary. Consider using as few bags as possible to pack your groceries. Consider reusable water bottles and drinking tap water where available.

Click here for more from the Pacific Institute.

Watch this video - particularly relevant for Bay area given a recent incident

The picture says it all - US economy adrift, Dollar sinking

Eighties Nostalgia

A nostalgic trip down memory lane. I'm sure I'm not the only one into into Euro-pop-trash from the 80s - well, technically Modern Talking was a German group and Wikipedia classifies them as italo-disco (whatever that means). Boy, were they good and they had a string of synth-pop hits in mid 80s. Like most European groups of that era - they are almost unknown in USA - but I'm sure a lot of you who didn't grow up here might remember them. Here's one of their biggest hits

Here's the discography from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Talking

Video Captures Plane Near-Crash in Hamburg

Man, that pilot deserves a medal. What a horrific situation to be in - a crosswind hitting you right when the rubber hits the runway. But look how smoothly he takes off again.

Are You Lonesome Tonight - Senior Citizens Version

For all Elvis fans out there - you realize that had he lived he would have turned 72 this January. Well, at 72 he would have cut a very different figure than he youth icon he is revered as - however some might say at 72 he would have been still young enough to run as the Republican candidate for the President of the United States.

Anyway, here's a contemporary, senior citizens version of Elvis' all time favorite - Are you lonesome tonight:







ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT? (Senior Citizen Version)

Are you lonesome tonight?
Does your tummy feel tight?
Did you bring your mylanta and tums?

Does your memory stray,
To that bright sunny day,
When you had all your teeth and your gums?

Is your hairline receding?
Your eyes growing dim?
Hysterectomy for her,
And its prostate for him.

Does your back give you pain?
Do your knees predict rain?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

Is your blood pressure up?
Good cholesterol down?
Are you eating your low fat cuisine?

All that oat bran and fruit,
Metamucil to boot.
Helps you run like
A well oiled machine.

If it's football or baseball,
He sure knows the score.
Yes, he knows where it's at
But forgets what it's for.

So your gallbladder's gone,
But your gout lingers on,
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

When you're hungry, he's not,
When you're cold, he is hot,
Then you start that old thermostat war.

When you turn out the light,
He goes left and you go right,
Then you get his great symphonic snore.

He was once so romantic,
So witty and smart;
How did he turn out to be such
A cranky old fart?

So don't take any bets,

It's as good as it gets,

Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.

The Hemline Economy

Thanks Vikram for the rejoinder - the hemline theory of economic ups and downs. This one probably goes back to just before the great depression of the 1920s - maybe even earlier.

It is interesting - how fashion corelates to economic conditions of the times. I'd love to have more comments on any other corelations that you might have come across.

Thanks Vikram for the rejoinder - the hemline theory of economic ups and downs. This one probably goes back to just before the great depression of the 1920s - maybe even earlier.

It is interesting - how fashion corelates to economic conditions of the times. I'd love to have more comments on any other corelations that you might have come across.

Thought of the day - Plagiarism

“When you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism,” the larcenous 20th century entrepreneur Wilson Mizner once said. “If you steal from many, it’s research.”

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! あけましておめでとうございます。

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2008 is a Year of the Rat (Earth), which begins on February 7, 2008 and ends on January 25, 2009. First in the cycle of 12 Animal signs, Rat Year begins the sequence and recurs every twelfth year. It is a time of renewal in so many ways. From New Year to Valentine's Day, to the arrival of spring, may all the blessings and delights of the New Year be yours.

A Rat Year is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. This is a good year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product or make a fresh start. Ventures begun now may not yield fast returns, but opportunities will come for people who are well prepared and resourceful. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find.

The Pros and Cons of Coffee Drinking

I like this article - a very balanced view of coffee's health benefits or otherwise.

Couldn't agree more with the conclusion - "So, what is the key? The old principle - "everything in moderation" - holds true for coffee. It is not bad unless you abuse it. Coffee has its downsides, but offers enough good points to make it a worthwhile drink. For moderate coffee drinkers (3-4 cups/day providing 300-400 mg/day of caffeine), there is little evidence of health risks and some evidence of health benefits. And for sure you can enjoy your coffee as part of a healthy diet."

Click here for the complete post.

Sign of things to come - Dollars no longer accepted at Taj Mahal

Dollars no longer accepted at Taj Mahal

The Associated Press

Article Launched: 01/03/2008 07:41:21 AM PST

NEW DELHI—In yet another troubling sign for the greenback, at least one of the seven wonders of the world is now off limits if you have only U.S. currency in your pocket.

India's tourism minister said Thursday that the dollar will no longer be accepted at the Taj Mahal and other national tourist sites.

For years tourists visiting most sites in India were charged either $5, or 250 rupees.

After falling 11 percent in 2007, hitting nine-year lows to hoover around 39 rupees, the dollar is out.

Charging only rupees now seems more practical and will save tourists money because "the dollar was weaker against the rupee," Tourism Minister Ambika Soni told the CNN-IBN news channel.

"Before the dollar lost its value, there was a demand to have (admission tickets) just in rupees," he added.

The Taj Mahal, India's famed white marble monument to love, began refusing dollars in November.

It means just one more place where American tourists will have to shell out more money—now nearly $20.

And it's likely to get worse in booming India.

"We expect a slight appreciation of the rupee to continue, although it won't be as dramatic as last year," said Agam Gupta, head of foreign exchange trading at Standard Chartered Bank in India.

The dollar has fallen against most major currencies, and it has lost ground against the rupee due to an influx of foreign capital, said Gupta.

The dollar hit record lows of $1.4967 against the euro on Nov. 23, the weakest since that currency began trading in 1999, and was down against almost every major currency Thursday.

Outsourced Wombs

This is troubling in a general sense - although I can't lay my finger on one specific thing that's troubling about this. I guess the question is how far are we willing to beyond the natural order of things because technology now enables us. And the answer is not simple; also it's often selfish.

Anyway, check out Judith Warner's piece on NYTimes http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/outsourced-wombs/

and the program from NPR here:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/12/27/surrogate_mothers/

Season's Greetings and Happy New Year!

Wishing all our friends all the very best this holiday season and in the new year! Click here for an animated greeting.

Reverse colonization -India's growing economic clout in Britain

I have recently been testing my hypothesis with various friends that what we are looking at now is a reverse colonization. I don't have all the facts on my fingertips here, but what is well known is that quite a few of the richest people in Britain today are of Indian origin. Now with Tata's of India taking over he only two remaining British automobile icons - Jaguar and Land Rover, the hypothesis is getting an additional shot in the arm.

Click here for details from Autoblog.

Independent Hindi Movie - Chappad Faad Ke

My friend and neighbor - Aman Boparai has been working diligently over the last 4 years on his dream project - an independent hindi comedy based in USA. A Software Project Manager by day, and director/producer/cameraman/editor by night - it's a remarkable fruition of his relentless pursuit and a great study of the multicultural environment we live in.

You can get more details on his website http://www.cineglobal.com - be sure to look at the trailer and songs. I would really appreciate if you could help spread the word and mail out this link to all your South Asian friends and others who may be interested in an offbeat hindi comedy.

Thanksgiving and Turkey - a holiday classic based on a sound economic foundation!

Like most traditions, this one has a sound economic foundation - Turkey was cheaper by the pound back in the 18th and 19th centuries and it had little other use. Beef was expensive - cows were more valuable for dairy products than for meat and chicken laid eggs.

Well, hope you all had a great Turkey day.

Service sector jobs - the new panacea for the Indian masses

Here's a well researched report from Wall Street Journal on the growing impact of the service sector jobs - particularly retail jobs - but it raises another question - one reported some time back in Fortune - namely, the demise of small retailers.

Yes, it seems that the coming of big retail to India will generate a lot of service jobs - but perhaps a lot of these service jobs shall be the only options left for small retailers and their employees. The real question still remains - is this trend of service jobs in India just a lateral trend - a shift from unorganized, small business sector to corporate, large business? Not that there's anything wrong with this - India is perhaps a couple of decades behind other Asian countries where this has already happened. However, a deeper analysis of the economic impact is required before we start raising hopes of millions of Indian masses.

What do you think?