tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-224452712024-03-12T23:35:20.171-07:00Perpendicular ThoughtWatching and Waiting... In the Shadows. :-)In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.comBlogger188125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-84640717013744130532012-04-29T13:02:00.001-07:002012-04-29T13:03:00.026-07:00Pre Monday morning blues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Why are managers just so idiotic !! Is it a prerequisite ?</div>In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-67774524633814417372011-05-24T03:41:00.001-07:002011-05-24T03:41:32.667-07:00taskkill Error: Initialization failureI found a solution and it worked for me. May it help someone else <br><br><a href="http://efreedom.com/Question/2-91689/Tasklistexe-Initialization-Failure">http://efreedom.com/Question/2-91689/Tasklistexe-Initialization-Failure</a><br> <br>======================<br><p>In cmd:</p> <p>net stop winmgmt</p> <p>Rename the %windir%\system32\wbem\repository to something else</p> <p>net start winmgmt</p><p>======================</p><br> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-51728087284493926582009-07-16T02:04:00.001-07:002009-07-16T02:04:49.101-07:00coder girl..nice little track .. <br><br><a href="http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/07/13/coder-girl-a-nerdcore-ode-to-female-programmers/">http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/07/13/coder-girl-a-nerdcore-ode-to-female-programmers/</a><br> <br>:-)<br> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-75448307604866032742009-05-07T00:59:00.001-07:002009-05-07T00:59:22.853-07:00IPL, gotta love it... when you see Sreesanth playing for Punjab and Manpreet Gony playing for Chennai !! <br><br> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-45597418727358148592009-04-12T23:54:00.001-07:002009-04-12T23:54:49.319-07:00Nano impact<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009">Mumbai cobbler books the Nano.. No, not the low end model, the middle model - LX</span></font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009"></span></font> </div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009"><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai/Mumbai-cobbler-books-Nano/articleshow/4387327.cms">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai/Mumbai-cobbler-books-Nano/articleshow/4387327.cms</a></span></font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009"></span></font> </div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009">Now, nothing against cobblers as such but - I wonder if there will be a spate of accidents on our roads, given the kind of drivers who will be driving.... I do not claim any statistical data, but by simple observation, we already see that most accidents involve those BPO indica cabbies (apart from rickshaws and again, Tata trucks)</span></font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009"></span></font> </div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009">Tata isnt known for making safe cars (compare the braking of Indica with Hyundai in any auto mag). Tata's idea of safety till date seems to be adding as much steel in the body as possible. Nano does not even have that... </span></font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009"></span></font> </div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span class="734434606-13042009">Whats worse - getting hit by a rickshaw or a nano ??</span></font></div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-74193960023033799692009-02-04T23:41:00.001-08:002009-02-04T23:41:32.000-08:00Ten dollar laptopDo these sarkari type people even know what is a Laptop ???<br><br><a href="http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20090204170911_India_s__10_Notebook_Appeared_to_Be_a_Flash_Drive.html">http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20090204170911_India_s__10_Notebook_Appeared_to_Be_a_Flash_Drive.html</a><br> <br><a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/news/India-10-laptop-launch,6961.html#xtor=RSS-181">http://www.tomshardware.com/news/India-10-laptop-launch,6961.html#xtor=RSS-181</a><br><br> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-49478746940282325012008-10-07T23:15:00.001-07:002008-10-07T23:15:11.265-07:00Nano confusion<div dir="ltr"><br>First the farmers protest against the car factory.... <br><br>Tata reverses his decision.. <br><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Singur_not_OK_Tata_reverses_Nano_out/articleshow/3557174.cms">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Singur_not_OK_Tata_reverses_Nano_out/articleshow/3557174.cms</a><br> <br>Now they protest his leaving the site... <br><a href="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081004/jsp/nation/story_9926807.jsp">http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081004/jsp/nation/story_9926807.jsp</a><br><br>Yaar yeh log chahte kya hain ?? Just proves that you can never trust the two-faced communists... I wonder what do they have to say about China forcibly grabbing land for factories, highways and stadia??<br> </div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-1470984109972650582008-09-16T07:33:00.001-07:002008-09-16T07:33:43.511-07:00RIP, Wright<div dir="ltr">Rest in Peace, Mr Richard Wright. <br><br><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7617363.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7617363.stm</a><br><br><b>Pink Floyd keyboard player and founder member Richard Wright has died, aged 65, from cancer.</b> <br></div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-85755695251542718862008-07-15T06:32:00.001-07:002008-07-15T06:32:11.226-07:00Can tax be fair?<div dir="ltr"><div><font face="Arial" size="2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax</a></font></div> <div> </div> <div><span class="078561813-15072008"><font face="Arial" size="2">A tax proposal in the US congress, that says you only pay tax on what you consume... no income tax or capital gains tax... Eg. you buy a car, you pay tax, you dont buy a car, you dont pay tax... simple. </font></span></div> <div><span class="078561813-15072008"></span> </div> <div><span class="078561813-15072008"><font face="Arial" size="2">I wonder if something like this can drive down an economy into recession... I wont buy a car to save tax. Many people will not buy a car for the same reason. The car company loses sales numbers, and shuts down. More people then dont have money to buy something else, and so on. Maybe yes, maybe no. People still need to buy cars :-) </font></span></div> <div><span class="078561813-15072008"></span> </div> <div><span class="078561813-15072008"><font face="Arial" size="2">Does that reduce the responsibility of the government in a way? The government says - Ok, you paid tax for what you bought. We are not accountable to you now. </font></span></div> <div><span class="078561813-15072008"><font face="Arial" size="2">OR no... what business does the government have in a sale between two parties. If you collect tax in a deal between two entities, you are answerable to both of them. </font></span></div> <div><span class="078561813-15072008"></span> </div> <div><span class="078561813-15072008"><font face="Arial" size="2">Of course, it has its demerits. Most likely, it wont be implemented, but then, even in matters of law (which I expect Indians to excel in, since its mostly bakr bakr) , they have some ideas for improvization... </font></span></div></div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-58127221327315452862008-07-15T06:13:00.001-07:002008-07-15T06:13:38.626-07:00us and them - can Indian society produce Gates<div dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.pluggd.in/2008/07/microsoft-facebook-google-from-india-can-indian-society-produce-gates-larry-zuckerburg">http://www.pluggd.in/2008/07/microsoft-facebook-google-from-india-can-indian-society-produce-gates-larry-zuckerburg</a><br> <br>Founder of Microsoft - Bill Gates, programmer<br>Founder of GE - Thomas Edison, inventor<br>Founder of 3Com - Metcalfe, inventor at Xerox<br>Founder of Ford - Henry Ford, inventor<br>Founder of Mercedes - Karl Benz, inventor<br> Founder of Apple - Steve Jobs, programmer<br>Founder of AT&T - Alexander Graham Bell, inventor<br>Founder of Cisco - Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner, inventors of the router<br><br>Contrast this now...<br><br>Founder of TCS - Jamshed Tata, businessman<br> Founder of Mahindra (TechMahindra) - Mahindra, businessman<br>Founder of Birla companies - GD Birla, businessman<br>Founder of Idea - Aditya Birla, businessman<br>Founder of BSNL - Government<br>Founder of SAIL - Government<br> Founder of Wipro - Azim Premji, businessman<br>Founder of Bajaj - Bajaj, businessman<br><br>and the list goes on and on<br><br>Hardly a few companies in India founded by scientists or engineers.<br><br>The difference is that Indian businesses are run or founded by bean-counters or government. Whether a software company, electronics company or a kirana shop, it does not make much of a difference to the founder. The companies work like a kirana shop anyway.<br> Companies are founded as investments by business families.<br><br>In US (or developed countries), companies are run by engineers and scientists. Companies in US are born out of innovation more frequently than companies in India.<br> American (or lets say, western) companies not just make profits, but they also innovate and research (well, if not all, then a higher percentage of those companies anyway)<br><br>Now obviously, the question arises - Are we lacking in ideas or inventions? Not really...<br> More importantly, its not easy to start a company in India (think corruption, infrastructure, law and order, social security and safety, legalities, etc).<br><br>(Please dont call Tata Nano as an innovation. They havent been able to provide decent quality in an Indica car which is 3 times the price of the Nano)<br> <br></div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-27907004755010631492008-04-03T07:21:00.001-07:002008-04-03T07:21:52.166-07:00Community bashing again<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Some lady in Pune owns a flat. She wants to sell it to a muslim family. Society objects. Newspaper and lady bash Sindhis (directly or indirectly).</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Read the whole story here - <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/story/291804.html" target="_blank">http://www.indianexpress.com/story/291804.html</a></span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">>> Till date, the building society — Cozy Corner has 16 apartments, 14 occupied by Sindhis — hasn't handed her a No Objection Certificate.</i><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">What has Sindhi or the community of the people living in the apartment got to do with it? Really? Does not any other community do this?</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Would it have been the same if the majority of the residents were Maharashtrian or Tamils or Bengalis ? (Except for Gujaratis, of course, who are clearly one of the media's targets)</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">>> Because the buyers' surname was Hirani, members assumed they were Sindhis, like 80 per cent of others in the society building. But when the buyers introduced themselves and residents realised that they were Bohra Muslims, their faces fell. They openly said they had agreed to the sale because they thought they were Sindhis, that had they known they were Muslims, they would have never agreed," said Kapoor ,</i><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Again the Sindhi-bashing. I dont think that the word "Brahmin" or "xyz" occur as frequently in Brahmin or "xyz"-bashing news articles, as in this short news article. <br> <br>>> <i>When contacted, Sanjay Ajwani, chairman of the society, admitted that members were opposing the sale to the buyers. But he gave a different reason, alleging that the prospective buyers had "behaved badly" at the introductory meeting which raised doubts about their "ability to fit in".</i><br><br>Buyers behaving badly - I am not really surprised, call me racist or communal, etc. <br>Well, the woman wants to sell the flat and needs money, come what may. Doesnt matter if it is causing inconveniences to fellow residents. The background of the buyers, how they behave, etc be damned. <br> As for me, I have shifted quite a few flats in Pune city. I have been refused accomodation sometimes. Many societies does not prefer students and bachelors living there. And yes, people with bad behaviour too. It was not because of my community that I was not allowed to stay. Definitely, before moving in, if I behave badly, I will be denied accomodation. <br> Until recently, I lived in a society with two of us guys being the only non-Maharashtrian residents. The new society that I shifted to recently kicked out some BPO employees staying on rent because of their rude and bad behavior (they also once puked in the lawns). Its because of their bad behaviour, not because of the community. Definitely, the background and behaviour of the prospective residents does matter. <br> <br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">>><i> As for Kapoor, she is planning to take up the issue with the Human Rights Commission. </i><br><br>Human rights ?? Ho gaya kaam khatam. As in India we know that its only the muslims who have human rights. Why, even our moronic PM says so, that they have the first claim on the nation's resources. All other residents should be thrown out and the society should be given to muslims. <br> <br>>> <i>She said she would move court if the new owners of the apartment were harassed because of their religion.</i><br><br>Harass them? Arre bhai, who will harass them? Zinda rehna hai ke nahi kisiko... <br>Now seriously, how many muslim builders or property sellers sell to non-muslims. <br> <br><br>The above stupid news story apart, its a truth that many societies do not prefer muslims in their neighbourhood. The reasons are manifold, few of them are below - <br><br> - They generally exhibit bad behaviour, and cause inconvenience to other residents. Residents do not generally complain due to fear of violence. If they approach the law, the muslim just has to mention "I am muslim, thats why I am being harassed". The other resident can give up any hope of justice forever, in turn he/she will be harassed by the law machinery and "human rights walas" of the country.<br> - They generally do not cooperate with other residents. <br> - This is the worst. Once they enter a society or locality, they try to get more muslims into that place. Once their numbers reach a critical mass, they force other residents to flee or sell their property (cheaply) by use of threats and violence. An aunt of mine actually had to leave their locality in Amdavad in such a scenario. I have seen so many muslim-only ghettos and localities in Amdavad, Mumbai and Vadodara. Some even in Pune. <br> - Land grab is achieved by building illegal mosques. A friend of mine living in Amdavad owned land in Vadnagar, his home town. Muslims illegally built a mosque there and there is no hope of getting the land back though the court case is still going on. Plus they are even afraid to go back to their home town. <br> <br> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-27872150316955530792008-02-29T03:52:00.001-08:002008-02-29T03:52:12.613-08:00Budget 2008 - Very badThe bad - Very bad.<br><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget42.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget42.htm</a><br><br>Our tax money to fund madrassas in the name of "minority welfare". Our money funding terrorists. Our money used to kill us. <br> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-12957282882541911352008-02-29T00:24:00.000-08:002008-02-29T00:25:03.594-08:00Budget 2008 - Initial impressionsBudget - Good news first.. <br><br>Income tax exemption limit raised<br><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget20.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget20.htm</a><br><br>The salaried class bears the maximum brunt of taxes. The businesses find out ways to avoid taxes. They hire people to do exactly that. In a business, its easy to manipulate numbers and hide the trails. This is not the case with people who get payslips. I wonder how many of the neighbourhood "mom-and-pop" stores pay taxes. Funny that large retail companies are not being encouraged, since they will come under audit more easily than the neighbourhood kirana walas. By the way, I have rarely seen moms and pops in these stores. <br> Sadly enough, no simplification of tax processes. Why the myriad variety of surcharges and exemptions. Why not fine-tune the income tax rates, get what the govt wants and be done with it. I wonder how many man-hours are wasted by businesses, employees and accountants just to calculate tax, and fill up long winded forms, which do not have enough space to write your complete name and address !! <br> <br>Farmers' debt to be waived<br><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget13.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget13.htm</a><br>If we forget rich farmers taking advantage etc, its a good move. Agriculture and food supply security is one of the most critical aspects of national security. Now, we dont want to be armtwisted by countries like Australia in lieu of substandard wheat that is priced much higher than what we pay our own farmers !! <br> This may also help reduce farmer suicides (Why did the haughty and dumb Chiddu wait till now to come up with this? AFAIK, farmer suicides was a big issue since NDA lost elections)<br><br>And then the bad.. <br><br>Reduction of duties on small cars.. <br> <a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget18.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget18.htm</a><br>(Why it is bad? You have no roads to drive them on. Later - more on why I think Tata Nano is, ultimately, a bad idea)<br> <br>NREGA to be extended to all districts of the country.<br><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget10.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget10.htm</a><br>(More of our tax money goes into the Kaangressi politicians' pockets)<br> <br><br>Overall - A populist budget. <br> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-47635760153839972482008-01-03T06:26:00.001-08:002008-01-03T06:26:50.179-08:00Perpendicularity<div>- It is not just Haj subsidies, crores of our money given as grants to some stupid minority commission, and umpteen minority development schemes which hand out money to jehadis baying for our blood, it also extends to banks. Banks have to give some amount of loans to minorities as per laws, and most of them turn into bad debts. Where do the banks then earn money from ? Yes, its us! Double whammy.. our tax money spent on "minorities" because they have the first right on the resources of the nation, plus some amount from our income after tax is also given away to them for nothing! I would infact be okay with this, provided it stops jehadi attacks against us !! But that is not happening either. </div> <div> </div> <div>Remember that everytime your bank cheats on interest rates or sends goons after you, these dhimmis are responsible in an indirect manner. </div> <div> </div> <div><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/jan/03fm.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/jan/03fm.htm</a></div> <div> </div> <div>- Needless to say, a good number of the bank recovery agents/goons that I have seen in my limited experience are muslims. Ok, I am a communal bigot, Modi supporter etc (Modi appears courtesy Desi Godwin's laws) </div> <div> </div> <div>- Dumb media walo, ab to chhod do yaar Modi ko... bore ho gaya hoon ek hee analysis baar baar dekhkar. Haan bhai, Gujaratis are a violent people, Modi had some serious issues during childhood, his psychoanalysis reveals him as a monster, he has equated Gujarat with Modi etc (It doesnt matter that it actually is the media who demonized Gujaratis and Modi together and hence clubbed them together. Modi did not really have to do much, lucky guy) </div> <div>Disclaimer - I am not Gujarati. </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-20338938496479835702007-12-28T03:00:00.001-08:002007-12-28T03:00:21.067-08:00Perpendicularity<div>Ok, so the ex-PM of Pakistan, who encouraged terrorism in Kashmir and Afghanistan, has been assassinated by the monster she herself created? She has been consumed by what she has sown. Not that I am happy, but I aint sad either. It just does not affect me, I am more worried about jumping jobs right now (1). Anyway, she was responsible for the deaths of thousands of my countrypeople. The Indian media, as usual, will stupidly weep buckets of tears, Manmohan and Sonia will lose sleep, etc. </div> <div> </div> <div>Watching the news, our spineless Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, says - <em>We have lost a friend</em>. Friend ?? </div> <div> </div> <div>(1) - I had a verbal tiff with my manager, and he made life difficult for me. So now, I have some offers in hand and I have resigned. Some of the offers are good, but frankly, they are way too far from my home. Really, Pune is beginning to suck bigtime. No infrastructure, taxes are almost as high as Mumbai, travelling is a big pain. I want to go back to Gujarat, where most of my family lives, and where I did my schooling. There is hardly any IT industry in Gujarat. The ones who started operations there, have mostly left. A big factor is prohibition. Modi is doing great work for the development of Gujarat, but sadly, he has skipped IT industry. He did mention lifting the ban on alcoholic drinks in SEZs, but of course, the pseudo-secular , pseudo-liberal Congressis think that its bad to do so in the home state of a certain Mr. MK Gandhi... </div> <div> </div> <div>- Why do companies have to set up offices way outside the city in places like Magarpatta? Well, even that is ok, but whats the point if there are no decent roads to reach there. Whats the point if it takes someone about an hour risking run over by drunken truck drivers to reach the ugly place, and too tired to start working for atleast half an hour. </div> <div> </div> <div>- Magarpatta complex in Pune might be good inside. But there are no decent approach roads, and it has ugly, dusty, noisy and polluted surroundings. I wonder why companies even go there?? Ok, lower property prices, but then you get what you pay for... </div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-72099536176364427572007-12-27T07:04:00.001-08:002007-12-27T07:04:53.832-08:00Modi<div>All that Modi bashing apart, there is one thing that is remarkable. Modi has won a <strong>third</strong> consecutive term, beating anti-incumbency and the high-decibel pseudo-secular campaign against him. And in free and fair polls, unlike those in West Bengal :-) </div> <div> </div> <div>Good or bad is another matter.. but still do read this.. <a href="http://barbarindians.blogspot.com/2007/12/lord-is-thy-shepherd-thou-shalt-not.html">http://barbarindians.blogspot.com/2007/12/lord-is-thy-shepherd-thou-shalt-not.html </a></div> <div> </div> <div>Another pertinent point is why Gujaratis are being targeted. Now now.. not every Gujarati went around participating in the riots and voted for Modi. Dont the pseudo-seculars use this argument often ? </div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-50064452285780912182007-12-18T09:14:00.001-08:002007-12-18T09:14:58.404-08:00Correlation between Wage rates and Profits<div>Very good article that disproves the connection between high wage rates and the competitiveness of companies... </div> <div> </div> <div><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/dec/18bspec.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/dec/18bspec.htm</a></div> <div> </div> <div>"<em>Consider first some surprising facts about the effects of wage rates on the competitiveness of nations. Japan runs a trade surplus with China, even though Japan has higher wages. High-wage, presumably high-cost, countries such as Canada and Germany also run trade surpluses. </em>"</div> <div> </div> <div>"<em>Profits also are affected by brand image and product design and quality, all of which affect how much people are willing to pay for a car. While General Motors whines about its cost disadvantage because of its health care expenditures and high, unionized wage rates, Toyota achieved almost $6,000 per vehicle more in net revenue in 2004, according to pay more for each car because it did not have to offer as many rebates, price concessions and financing discounts to get customers to purchase its vehicles. </em>"</div> <div> </div> <div>"<em>And even forgetting about the revenue part of the picture and focusing only on costs doesn't change the conclusion that labor rates are overrated as a source of competitive advantage or disadvantage, because labor rates are only imperfectly associated with labor costs. In 2004, it took Ford Motor Company on average almost one-third more labor hours to manufacture a car than it did Toyota. So Ford begins with a cost disadvantage even if its rate of pay is the same. </em>"</div> <div> </div> <div>"<em>That's why John Whitney, when he took over a near-bankrupt Pathmark Supermarkets in 1972, actually raised the salaries of store managers. As he told me, the last thing you want during a turnaround is to have your best people heading for the door, worrying about their futures, or not putting forth their best efforts. </em>"</div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-60495483814728238792007-12-18T09:03:00.001-08:002007-12-18T09:03:52.096-08:00On Retail<div> </div> <div><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/dec/18retail1.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/dec/18retail1.htm</a></div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Govt to protect <i>kiranas</i> from retail majors</strong></div> <div><strong></strong> </div> <div>How ? So now, the government, the all pervasive protector of the aam aadmi, may introduce some "retail tax" on big retailers... </div> <div> </div> <div>Its funny to see how the socialist brigade calls the small kirana stores as "mom and pop" stores, to give them an image of a hardworking and sweet family that honestly runs a shop just round the corner.... I hardly see any "moms and pops" running these stores, they are run by business people. </div> <div> </div> <div>As regards kirana shops being affected by big retailers, personally, I see most people continue to visit kirana stores... in fact on unbranded items like ice-trays or naphthalene balls, I find that the big retailers are costlier. I mostly visit big retail stores for bulk shopping about once a month. For rest of the month, its the friendly neighbourhood "mom and pop" store.. :) </div> <div> </div> <div>Also, maybe, for once, the so-called "mom and pop" stores would want to try some things, viz., no underweighing (i think the big retailers do that too), no selling defective or expired goods, faster service, and of course, give discounts on MRP. </div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-84675507706493202352007-11-23T06:01:00.001-08:002007-11-23T06:01:57.143-08:00Ringtones<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/nov/12cell.htm">http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/nov/12cell.htm</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=112433612-12112007><FONT face=Arial size=2>What does your ringtone say about you? </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=112433612-12112007><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=112433612-12112007><FONT face=Arial size=2>As for me, I have no caller tune set (most of the times, the sound quality of the tune is pretty bad). If it were good quality, I would set it to some Pink Floyd, Dire Straits or even one of my standard ringtones. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=112433612-12112007><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=112433612-12112007><FONT face=Arial size=2>For ringtones, I still cycle amongst the default phone ringtones. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=112433612-12112007></SPAN> </DIV>In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-81217007057306444842007-11-23T03:20:00.001-08:002007-11-23T03:20:54.588-08:00on ICICI bank again<div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span>To know where I am coming from, please read - </span></font></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span></span><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </font></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><a href="http://perpendicularthought.blogspot.com/2007/11/finally-icici-bank-gets-it.html" target="_blank">http://perpendicularthought.blogspot.com/2007/11/finally-icici-bank-gets-it.html </a></font></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </font></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span>Another discussion with "dost janta" (friends) over many bottles of beer veered to ICICI Bank's goon activities. A friend of mine pointed out that the legal system is very slow and cumbersome for banks to recover their money. The banks cannot survive this way. There are many con men who go for loans without the intention to repay or at least be regular with their payments. Someone else pointed out that the bank has the freedom to set the loan interest rate. I agree. </span></font></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span><br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">I reiterate that </font></span></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span><br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">1. The bank should be more careful before lending to a customer. The customer is no way responsible for "minority loan quota" of these banks. In fact, we anyway pay a higher interest rate to compensate for those "minority quota" loan losses. <br><br>2. Many a times, the bank just thrusts the loan amount or a credit card into the hands of the consumer, without considering the repayment capability of the consumer. Of course, the bank does it because it already has paid goons on their rolls for the dirty work. As a customer, I would not pay anything if the bank promises me a "free credit card for life" (free as in no annual fees or entry fee), and then charges me even if I never use my credit card. </font></span><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span>I use no credit card just to avoid the hassles of keeping track of yet another device. </span><br></font><span><br></span></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">3. The borrower should not be harassed for the faults, inefficiencies or shortcomings of the bank itself. The borrower is no way responsible in case the bank misplaces some documents or is slow to complete the process. If the bank cannot manage to control errors and inefficiencies, they should pull down the shutters and pack up. <br><br>4. Using goons is no way to recover loans. ICICI bank is nothing more than a loan shark in a business suit. <br><br>5. Many a times, it might be a technical problem or somebody else's fault (like it happened in my case). Still the bank will not contact you (not even an email which costs practically nothing), and straightaway send goons, even though you have a good repayment record. Whats more - they would even threaten to reduce your credit ratings with </font><a href="http://www.cibil.com/" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">http://www.cibil.com</font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> , etc. <br><br>6. Regarding the bank can charge interest rates as per its wish. True. Now, when the bank sells you a loan with a floating rate, it claims that "the interest rate applicable to you drops when <b>interest rates in the market fall</b>". But ICICI bank continues to charge higher interest rates though the interest rates have fallen, and almost every other big competing bank has reduced its interest rates as per the market rates. Note that this is not illegal, but surely its unethical. ICICI bank is using legal technicalities to cheat customers, and reneging on its promise to lower interest rates for floating loan customers. <br>It works for ICICI bank, they continue to fleece the existing customers, even if they dont get new customers (given their malpractices). But still the bank offers lower interest rates to new customers, while charging existing customers about 1 - 2 % higher). </font></span></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">The practice of not lowering floating loan interest rates is being probed by MRTPC. Link here - </font><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/nov/23loan.htm"> <font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/nov/23loan.htm</font></a></span><span></span></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br><br><a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/nov/04bspec.htm" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/nov/04bspec.htm </font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> - Must read (I recall ICICI Bank telling me that their floating interest rates are based on RBI PLR, but there is no such thing. Blatant cheating by the bank). <br><br></font> <font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><i>Who, do you think, sets the 'benchmark' prime lending rate that your loan floats against? The RBI? No, <u>it is the banks themselves who fix the benchmark</u>.</i><br><br> </font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><i>The market is left with no independently fixed home loan benchmark. Two things can happen - RBI can make it mandatory for banks to disclose transparently their benchmarks like banks in Australia. Or, the RBI can make it mandatory for banks to fix home loans to an independent benchmark, like the Mibor </i>. <br><br></font><span><a href="http://www.apnaloan.com/articles/home-loan-india/On_wives_and_girl_friends.html" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">http://www.apnaloan.com/articles/home-loan-india/On_wives_and_girl_friends.html </font></a><br><br><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Personal_Finance/Loan_Centre/Home_Loans/RBI_comes_down_on_banks_for_hiking_home_loan_installments/rssarticleshow/2503145.cms" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Personal_Finance/Loan_Centre/Home_Loans/RBI_comes_down_on_banks_for_hiking_home_loan_installments/rssarticleshow/2503145.cms </font></a><br><br><a href="http://content.msn.co.in/News/Business/BusinessBusS_111007_1012.htm" target="_blank"> <font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">http://content.msn.co.in/News/Business/BusinessBusS_111007_1012.htm</font></a><br></span><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><i>Oct 11, 2007<br>The country's two biggest banks, State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank, have cut interest rates on <u><b>new </b></u>home and other retail loans, a move that is expected to be followed by other banks.</i><br><br></font><span><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Buying a floating loan is a farce. It just means that your interest rates will always go up, but never come down. <br></font></span></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span></span><span></span><br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span>Also, on 21 Nov 2007, we have this news item. More cases of ICICI bank's goondagardi keep coming to the limelight. They get rapped yet again. Still they dont learn. At this rate, I think they will have to wind up their retail banking soon. <br><br></span></font></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/ICICI_Bank_told_to_pay_Rs_1_lakh/articleshow/2557520.cms" target="_blank"> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/ICICI_Bank_told_to_pay_Rs_1_lakh/articleshow/2557520.cms </a></span></font></div> <div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span></span><br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14px; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); LINE-HEIGHT: 18px" name="test"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <br></span></span></span></font> </div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-14438866111744734702007-11-22T06:38:00.001-08:002007-11-22T06:38:39.964-08:00Tension at swargate.. no details yetThe news is that there is tension (rioting and stone pelting) in the Swargate area of Pune city, after the municipal authorities demolished an illegal place of worship. Guess what was the place of worship? In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-46685775939086369232007-11-19T06:56:00.001-08:002007-11-19T06:56:39.292-08:00Guess who pays the highest taxes in Asia<DIV><SPAN class=151115414-19112007><FONT face=Arial size=2>Indians are the most fleeced lot by their government, in Asia. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=151115414-19112007><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=151115414-19112007><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/nov/19tax.htm">http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/nov/19tax.htm</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=151115414-19112007><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=151115414-19112007><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-62262491177620628512007-11-19T00:04:00.001-08:002007-11-19T00:04:04.731-08:00Indian news channels and call centers<div><a href="http://offstumped.nationalinterest.in/2007/11/16/weekend-levity-when-tehelka-stung-aaj-tak/">http://offstumped.nationalinterest.in/2007/11/16/weekend-levity-when-tehelka-stung-aaj-tak/</a></div> <div> </div> <div>I have mostly found Indian TV news channels reporters to be dumb. They sound dumber than the call center guys for any Indian bank. </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-9705384491141821242007-11-15T23:59:00.001-08:002007-11-15T23:59:25.760-08:00Perpendicularity<div> </div> <div><a href="http://offstumped.nationalinterest.in/2007/11/16/conspiracy-of-silence-on-nandigrams-muslim-victims/">http://offstumped.nationalinterest.in/2007/11/16/conspiracy-of-silence-on-nandigrams-muslim-victims/</a> </div> <div> </div> <div>Its just that some of the victims happen to be muslims and hence the pseudo-secular-liberal media is beginning to take notice of the events of Nandigram. Otherwise nobody would have cared if the victims were only Hindus. Such is the discrimination against us in the name of secularism.. </div> In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22445271.post-85998823962577385612007-11-15T03:40:00.001-08:002007-11-15T03:40:45.662-08:00TV viewings and its connection with ideology<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/the-freak-est-links-59/">http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/the-freak-est-links-59/</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.learcenter.org/html/projects/?cm=zogby"><FONT face=Arial size=2>http://www.learcenter.org/html/projects/?cm=zogby</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2>Your preferences for TV programmes determines whether you are conservative, moderate or liberal. Do read. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2>As per the findings, it seems I am closest to moderate. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2> - Unlike conservatives, though, moderates watch all the broadcast networks (<EM>I mostly watch everything, as long as it interests me, including cartoons</EM>)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2> - Over 82% of conservatives say they never watch MTV. (<EM>Well, I do watch MTV</EM>)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2> - you are more likely to find them (<EM>liberals</EM>) watching comedies than moderates or conservatives. (<EM>I do watch comedies</EM>)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2> - While conservatives are more likely than all other respondents to watch action adventures and business and sports programming, that’s exactly the programming that liberals are less likely to watch.(<EM>I prefer the action movies, business, science and sports channels, but the liberal favourite, music too</EM>)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2> - Moderates’ favorite music is rock (58%). (<EM>I mostly listen to rock</EM>)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007> <FONT face=Arial size=2>- Liberals are more likely to watch documentaries and art shows (<EM>which I avoid</EM>)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007></SPAN><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2>Of course, if someone likes Deepa Mehta and Meera Nair movies or MF Hussain paintings, they are most likely leftist pseudo-secular pseudo-liberals. And probably dhimmis too. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=869322411-15112007><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>In The Shadowshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.com0