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Changed destination, Canada?

IBNLive has reported a decrease of 25% in American F1 student visa for Indian students over the previous year. Strategically, Canada is at a vantage point than any other country to have these bevy of brilliant minds added to its team of challengers and innovators. Let Canada tackle economic slow-down utilizing apt human resources (these students undoubtedly make great ones) in a novel manner. If the right actions are thought and implemented in concerted manner by different government departments, universities, business houses etc. time will give all a chance to accolade such thoughts (for attracting these students), in not too far a moment. They primarily look for the right opportunities in their chosen field to pursue higher studies and research oriented work. Some of them may also need to work for certain period of time to pay/recover the cost. How Canada can utilize them after giving some support is what has to be very quickly explored, discussed and implemented.

Critics will say if American dream is getting over for them why to help them with a Canadian dream. Answer to them is to help Canada achieve what America has over the last 50 years by properly utilizing this human resource-item developed by another country (India) without involving Canadian tax-payers money! As USA has observed, these students pay reasonable taxes once they start earning and never become a burden on the society.

However, ‘screen & bring’ should be the only password to prevent over-crowding and off-quality inflow.

US economy today vs. skilled immigrants

US senate’s move to restrict employment of foreign skilled workers to save American jobs for Americans will retard further the US economy. Such restrictions apply obviously to corporations receiving financial aid package for survival as they have to follow the directives. They cannot bring in foreign skilled workers using H1B visa but have to appoint Americans whether they meet the essential skills and aptitude norms for the jobs. Information technology sector also uses such visas to bring in highly skilled foreign workers - many from India who are from very renowned Indian universities. US senate envisages that American businesses can not hire H1B visa holders if they fire American employees.

Foreign workers who come on H1B visa are allowed to work in America for a maximum period of 3 years, extendable by another 3 years for extremely deserving candidates who contribute a lot in their American assignment to help the country prosper. President Obama appears to be focused on reducing the expenses to improve profitability. But such restrictions are obvious roadblocks for the success of his plans. Why? These H1B visa holders who come to America to work are highly skilled, educated and cannot be compared with most of the Americans losing their jobs. For the work they do here using their skills and higher education they posses from best universities, equivalent American workers are very much more expensive. Businesses can not afford to hire those expensive Americans to keep them (businesses) competitive in the market place, especially when the world has become a global village. Question is whether to run the business viably making profit (or at least avoid going red at the moment) hiring H1B visa holders or employ very expensive American workers (or compromise on their qualities and pre-requisites and pay less)!

Also important to know that such highly skilled foreign workers who the American employers hire at a lower wage are experts in their fields and not too scared if America closes its door on them. They will continue to be in demand all over. Even if they continue to remain in their countries, like India, China etc., American employers will continue to utilize their services by opening facilities in countries these professionals flock around. Relocation of some facilities from America to these countries may also result. Outlook of US economy is extremely uncertain. No one in the leadership is appearing to have the firm and confident idea of how to steer. Many feel that despite a significant fiscal stimulus package the American GDP is not likely to be of any encouragement in 2009. Slimmed-down stimulus plan worth about $780bn is not viewed with lots of optimism. Controversial ‘Buy American’ provisions may lose its importance eventually when it gets to implementation stage. Trading partners are not to be discarded at the cost of controversial concepts. Under such frenzied state of affairs there can be many more scenarios which I leave for my next blog.

Spiralling deeper into recession, some concrete and effective steps have to be thought and worked out quickly. So, is it time to think by people who can really think (but just not to decide for the sake of it) and open up to put the country back into forward gears?

Come on quick, there is not enough time to think but act. After all the world is changing fast!

Convocation opens windows to various learnings including management

Discover the 90/10 Principle. It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations). What is this principle?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.

How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light., but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example.

You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens when the next will be determined by how you react.

You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work.

You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying good-bye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.

Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is " D".
You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase,you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference?
Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic?
Do you lose your temper?
Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off)
Do you curse?
Does your blood pressure skyrocket?
Do you try and bump them?
WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?
Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.

The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger.

Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache.

We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

It CAN change your life !!!

Author : Stephen Covey ( Management Guru)

INDIA CAN OR CAN'T SAVE ITS PEOPLE ?

INDIA’S ECONOMIC CAPITAL AND HOME OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST CINEMA INDUSTRY MUMBAI WITNESSED HELPLESSLY IN NOV 2008 A LANDMARK OUTRAGEOUS TERRORIST ATTACK. Time may or may not reveal such an attack was never by terrorists but by a neighboring government (that may train and provide terrorists as well to the world other than doing routine governmental functions). Time may or may not also prove that the various aids this govt. receives from all over the world are smoked up in producing criminals and terrorists to destabilize developing countries, especially India. Let’s bypass this idea now which needs to be re-discussed at yet another session. Apropos this attack, all clues lead to the terrorist growing machinery ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), reportedly frankensteined by the Pakistani government. I am also not to inscribe here anything like such definite evidence of attack programmed and triggered from Pakistan has brought India and Pakistan on the verge of fighting another expensive battle to transform Pakistan into a definitely dying country from the present status of a bankrupt nation, and India from a promisingly growing inc. to some present Wall Street inc. - collapsed and looking for a bailout, living on uncertain mercy of the world. While India has the right kind of composure and machinery in place to manage and survive fighting another war, Pakistan will simply turn into a mass of many innocent starving people completely perplexed and existence jeopardized while it’s power players in the so called govt. (nervous and defunct), ISI bosses and some hardliner Taliban rulers and terrorists accompanying the formers with the hope of regrouping and continue to disturb the peace of the world and India at large. Pakistan cannot afford to fight India - a powerful and largest democracy existing in a strategically vantage position, keep aside its bravura striking power over Pakistan! Pakistan military is awfully weak and could not even handle the Taliban insurgency despite frequent strikes by US Forces. If Pakistan’s army is considered even of average quality then their failure to contain Taliban insurgency leads to the only point that they are not fighting the Taliban at all but resorting to (ISI drawn) eyewash program to cheat America and the united world against terror!

Sorry, my original idea was not to speak about Pakistan, India or ISI. Having drifted considerably from what I thought of keying down, now I’ll keep it short and simple (KISS), or rather request you to watch the 20 minute’s video (courtesy ND TV) below. We do not want any more people killed in Mumbai or anywhere else in the world because of mere existence of an alleged hostile government in an alleged hostile country that is a safe haven for terrorists as alleged by some, again allegedly and deliberately creates Frankensteins to destroy the peace of the democratic world. We shall continue to pledge and stand in solidarity with all the peace lovers everywhere, including many in Pakistan as well. We shall never miss the breezy spirit of smile to be a part of the world community that is DETERMINED TO LIVE UNDAUNTED. Let Pakistan’s ISI (if they are the ones or else my apologies) know whenever required:

• We will continue to sign messages on banners outside hotels they attack to kill innocent people as we have done today at Taj Mahal Hotel

• We will continue to reopen any attacked hotels within a month and pay tribute to all you kill as we have done for Taj and Trident today

• We will continue to pay tributes to martyrs you kill while they try to resist you killing innocent people, as we have done today thru concerts, painting exhibitions etc.

• Photographer Sebastian D’Souza will continue to be bold enough to take pictures of the assassins inside the CST and stun the world with such photos if you continue to send them to kill us for being good and innocent

• Like Leopold’s other cafes will continue to re-open within a couple of days if you continue to make them face the terror

• We will continue to reaffirm what Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, father of Rivka Holtzberg who had come from Afula, Israel, said in Mumbai today, “We will continue. A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.”

• We will continue to resist you till you can destroy us completely. Do you think you can still destroy us Mr. Frankenstein (apologies if you are not the cause)??

WE SHALL LIVE IN PEACE ONE DAY

(now click on the video below to watch)

Paintings by Nature

Commerce Aspects - Beijing Olympics

REVENUE SOURCES
Broadcast rights: 50%
Sponsorship: 40%
Ticketing: 8%
Misc: 2%

REVENUE DISTRIBUTION
Distributed to Athelets, Teams &
National Olympic Committees : 92%
Retention for IOC: 8%

It is estimated that more than $ 3 billion should be going to IOC out of which about $ 1.7 billion generated through broadcast rights.

The Dangers of Aging Tires

US car and truck sales figures in June 2008

GM: 260,457
TOYOTA: 193,234
FORD: 166,461
HONDA: 142,539
CHRYSLER: 117,457
NISSAN: 75,847
HYUNDAI: 50,033
MAZDA: 23,771

Of all global major car makers Hyundai will probably be the biggest beneficiary of high oil prices. They will post operating earnings of $2.3 billion this year, up 25%, on sales of $33.7 billion, up 11%. For their Elantra, Accent and Sonata sales increase has been maximum. These three compact, subcompact or mid size models registered 69%, 91% & 26% respective growth in sales figures. US sales of Hyundai SUV and Minivans tumbled by 41%.

Big cars are not preferred by Americans any more. Honda Motors have proposed shifting from SUVs to subcompacts. They were the first major automakers to offer hybrid (Insight in 1999) in the US. However their efforts have long been overshadowed by Toyota's success with the Prius. Honda sold just 277,000 hybrids to date, compared with Toyota's 1.5 million. However, unlike Toyota Honda is less interested in hybrid technology for heftier vehicles. They believe cleaner diesel is more appropriate for bigger cars.

By late 2010 Toyota plans to introduce 5 new hybrids - only models in the US, including a revamped Prius, a minivan and a new Lexus - some of them plug-ins. Unconfirmed sources are talking about a new Prius debuting in the first half of 2009 which will be lighter and more efficient than current model. It will be a hybrid tapping solar power. It may be designed to have integrated solar panels on the roof. This solar system will supply a portion of 2kw to 5kw needed to power the car's air conditioning.

GM is also developing the electric-powered Chevrolet Volt.

Many auto experts are becoming skeptical of plug-in hybrids, which can be recharged using home electricity. Battery technology, as many feel, is not ready.

However, until automakers can pass on the full cost of hybrid technology to the customers selling more hybrids will corrode their profit margins for sure.

(data courtesy: businessweek)

Order does not matter, does it?

(photo of my niece in Japan)

Try reading the following and checking how difficult you feel:

Aoccdrnig to reesrach at an Elingsh uinervtisy in Egnlnad, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, olny taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pcleas. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by ilstef, but the wrod as a wlohe. It is bsailcaly the vuisal precpetoin taht is tanrsfmored by hmuan barin.

I hvae rceieved tihs so mnay tiems wtih deiffernt txet and tihs ltaest one rceeievd trhu Perchequi in Ialty syas Cmabrigde Uinervtisy rseaerched on tihs.

Niagar Falls on a cloudy day

Skyline Toronto - May 2008

Rain Came to Her Garden (Part-2)

Rain Came to Her Garden (Part-1)

FALL

~rickshaw~

drained vastly
on tired feet
needing repose
that was poor him –
the human-horse of calcutta,
resting under the azure sky.

when asked by
one mama wannabe 'kim'
for a trip to the hospital
on the flooded free school street
he took her to destination
not affording to say no
since left with no option
but to do that for
a living in the city of calcutta.


Let not rickshaws take last ride

What triggered this article is the fact that the hand-pulled rickshaws in the city of Calcutta will be banned very soon as decided by the provincial government. The communist authorities there have finally realized that this traditional mode of transport (a barefoot hapless man carrying a man or two in his hand-pulled rickshaw) is not only inhuman but a scar on the city’s image. I do not have the guts or logic to counter this view rather corroborate, but:

I was born in a typical middle-class Indian Bengali family where the values of everything used to get imbibed and nurtured on the younger members of the family by all the elders, paternal as well as maternal uncles, aunts, elder brothers/sisters/cousins, elder neighbors .... . Those discourses are somewhat common in most of the societies on earth. We were especially sermoned to be always kind to and help the needy people (more precisely ‘needy’ those days used to mean the poverty-struck people who struggled heavily to afford even one square meal a day) around us. Our culture and atypical ethnic traditions would compel us to offer (not just sharing) the entire meal (meant for me) to a sudden visitor to home who may be hungry, even though I remain hungry and without meal. I had observed many a times my father enjoying a disdained, unknown and hungry person eating his special hot-meal, cooked and dished for him by my mother with special care. The western society may find it difficult to digest and rather grade such practices as primitive and odd. We were taught at the very beginning of our prep school days that those who studied seriously and scored well would only live happy and contented. So I, like most in our times, had always tried to fare well in our curriculums. We tried to groom us the way our parents and elders wanted to (collective way resulted from consorted opinions of those elders around/far but within mailing distance) even if those likings of theirs were not acceptable to us. I was made to learn that I had to become an engineer or doctor to justify my presence in this world. So I became an engineer. We got told as children by our elders that married people should never alienate. So, I always distance myself (not sure if hatred develops as well) from people if they estrange voluntarily. Like those learnings, we also learnt that the rickshaw-pullers used to be the poorest people in the world and it was so inhumane to ride their carriage (because they pulled it manually taking the trouble for them) but simultaneously we also had the moral responsibility to help them (with money and support) whenever there was an opportunity. At the same time we were also taught that other people (but not us) should ride on man-pulled rickshaws so that the operators could earn their livelihood. It was so ambiguous and I never had more confusion in life that those two contradicting philosophies or schools of thought put me to. I got so emotionally drawn to the rickshaw-pullers and their poverty. I remember having written a story about Ramu (illusory name and person) when I was 8 years old. The poorest Ramu had to pull the rickshaw on a heavily down-poured day with water-logged city streets against his wishes and despite having very high fever, just because his 3 years old sick and mal-nourished daughter had to be fed something with at the end of the day for which he had to earn at least some coins to buy the food. It was a terrible day and there were no passengers. He got one finally at the end of the day and fare bargained selfishly was just a few coins. Still it would have bought something for the hungry daughter waiting at the door of the shabby shared-room expecting dad to come with some food. Ramu accepted that passenger, inviting him to em-rickshaw since he never wanted the opportunity to go away. As soon as the passenger de-rickshawed at destination settling the hard-bargained fare Ramu rushed to the about-to-close store to buy whatever comestible that small amount could. Across the counter the store-owner realized that the coin was fake and had no acceptance. Ramu had to go home empty-handed to be greeted by her compromisingly smiling daughter, “that’s fine dad, let the hunger grow further then we shall enjoy the food more tomorrow”. Elders, who all read this, feared that I was going to be a communist with the pass of time. But I did not (though I still do not know the real meaning of communist). Those Ramus, their daughters, those stingy as well as good passengers very much exist today, they still live the same lives they used to.


‘Some-times bare-foot rickshaw-pullers’ of the city of Calcutta will continue to be not deterred by the scorching heat of summer, flooded streets in monsoon and harassing by some extortionist with or without identity/uniform. Many write-ups, magazines, photo-features, authors, NGOs flocked around their lives to immortalize them and their stories, destiny and the struggle for mere survival of these, almost literally ‘beasts of burden’. Larry Collins and Dominique LaPierre in their masterpiece City of Joy picturized a touching story of those human-horses of the city of Calcutta. A still from Aparna Sen directed 36 Chowringhee Lane is still vivid in my mind. Jennifer Kapoor (portrays the role of Miss Violet Stoneham, a teacher) returns home safely (after taking some extra classes in the school) in rickshaw pulled by Abdul on a rainy day with swamped Calcutta city streets, while other colleagues of her waited for long hours at the school for the water to recede and return home using regular public transport. These Abduls will never cease to exist factually and virtually in our lives and minds. But Abdul's longtime job is in jeopardy due to the local governmental decision to un-accept 'a human being pulling another.' They think ‘it's inhumane - even obnoxious to look at.’ Rickshaw, widely outlined in the literature of many Asian cultures, is a sore now for Calcutta all of a sudden. Rickshaw’s first ever appearance was in Japan in 1867 during the Meji period. Year 1914 first witnessed the hand-pulled rickshaws rolled into Kolkata manned by Chinese pullers, now substituted by the Bihari drifters on the busy city streets. Though many stories have been told about them hammering on the point that the vehicle symbolizes certain facets of some societies, not very factual data or statistics seem to exist for studying. Estimated population of rickshaws in Calcutta is around 15,000 and the number of pullers much more, since they operate on shifts using the same vehicle. Ramu, Abdul and the city's estimated 18,000 rickshaw-pullers will have to find something else to do but what? Begging? I am still wondering is it not better to carry a live human cargo for a livelihood than to carry a lifeless shabby bowl for begging? Is it not better than begging on the streets of Calcutta? Calcutta has more number of beggars than rickshaw-pullers. I wish government first make themselves think that begging is more obnoxious to look at than man pulling human in a carriage. Instead of making the rickshaw a feature of the past let the advocates of the idea first think of genuine income alternative for these people. May be the electric and solar powered rickshaws, may be modern alternatives.

Calcutta’s tradition is not poverty and hand-pulled rickshaws. Also, it is not Calcutta’s tradition to take away jobs of 18,000 people, who may be an eye-sore but less that than the beggars are. Can the city disassociate her from the beggars and their begging bowls? If not, why we snatch the rickshaws from her? If this form of transport is inhumane more so is to expose those people to the mercy of fate for a living. As it is certain to happen, government can not provide alternative jobs to these people despite sincere intentions. On advance thought model, one day in near future when oil will no longer be available to us we may have to go back to rickshaw ride again all over. So, please show your wisdom and let the human-horses in the city of Calcutta live and run. Let us leap into the new era of modern Calcutta without executing the jinrikishas. Please do not drown Ramu into despair. He will go back to his shabby village home when he becomes old, passing his career to his growing son, just as poor as he was, when he left it, as George Robertson narrated.

I can very well imagine as an outsider (with inner views) the plight and mental agony these people are going through. May be some where some tired and frustrated Ramu with his sickly and hungry daughter is also imagining to climb to the stars, as I remember having read somewhere:

I know the stars are far above
I know my feet rest on the ground
I trust, someday, I will be free.