Blogging Birds

Blogging Birds

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Norway - Best Country to Live

Out of the 45 odd countries, I would have travailed in my life , the question usually asked to me was, which was the best country to live?
In terms of Beauty, culture, food , architecture, etc I think almost all countries have their unique place, but when it comes to quality of life relative to the current living of a person, then the choice would get reduced to very few countries in the world.

For me ,the most beautiful country with a very special quality of life comes from " Norway". A small Scandinavian country , however, extremely beautiful and magical with its environment. The Norwegians themselves are also very unique people. The class that sets them apart is their philosophy towards life. The whole thing is like a Spiritual Development of the soul of a person as against the material layout of the society. The beauty is in its simplicity.

The Norwegians like all Scandinavians are locked into bottle, however, there is still the highest order of Honesty which mankind can experience.

The only problem is the very very high cost of Living. Almost astronomical cost and very high tax rates. This makes impossible for any potential immigrant to settle easily in the country.

" I love Norway "

Optimum - The Child Development Code

" Optimum"
A very simple word , but the least understood.
Modern Schooling or for that matter schooling from time immemorial has largely focused on development of a child, fit enough to survive the jungle rules of a modern society. So inherently weak human beings, learn to control greed, anger, passion, jealousy, filth, hostility, corruption, lies, etc etc and also learn some marketable skills, which would keep them afloat in the society in general.

What Schooling never teaches a child is the concept of " Optimum ". Which is the very fine balance between less and less and more and more. The net result is a personality defect , which then lingers on for the rest of life.
Each one of us has this personality defect, where we do not know our cut off point on most issues. We follow blindly either, what the society does in general or instinctively what is exciting for our nerves. And the net result is unbalanced broken personality, which is good in some areas, but worst in many areas.

It is because , we have not learnt early on in life, that " Time " needs to be optimized, we tend to squander this vital resource on working extremely hard in life, but with very little output. More and more people I meet in life and I find that each of them complains of lack of Time. And the answer is lack of Optimization. I find people generally working for 12 hours each day.
So, if you start your day at 6 in the morning and by 8, you are driving to your office and return home by 8 pm. Then the time which you give your family is from 8 pm to 10 pm and invariably you are so tired that you would hardly bother to know, what is family all about.
Now, if you would have learnt the concept of Optimization early on in life, you would leave the office at 5 pm sharp and be home by 5.40 and spent the full evening with your family. You would have spent time on movies, theatre, books, neighbours, restaurants, games, etc etc. But unfortunately, it is the Rat Race, which keeps people bound to their desk.

If only a child was taught early on in life that Time was a vital resource and one had to optimize time for games, for studies, for learning, for eating etc and within the activity, again there was an optimum limit for each action, the child would have early on learnt the allocation of each resource to an optimum level.

Some children are born smart and some take time to develop, but this is genetic, so forcing kids to work harder then what is required rarely pays off. In fact , it always turns the child against the parents. But making a child realize that setting optimum goals early on in life helps build a beautiful future.

But first of all, the Teacher himself should know, what is " Optimum"

Friday, June 12, 2009

General Motors - Zombie Car

GM will now be run by the Government.

Governments nowhere in the worlds have run Industry successfully. If Govt, then the enterprise is meant to be sucked . For the simple reason, because there are no owners of the organization. The share holder is the public and public in Virtual mode .

Governments all over the world only know stamping and signing papers and creating obstructions in the name of controls and if it is a Third world country, then using the obstruction to extort money form the public.

Function of Government to have a functional public serving community is still a theoretical concept.

As the technology moves further, finally someday, it would be Technology in its auto mode, which will be serving the people and Governments will be only caretakers of Technology. This Utopian day is not so far.

Meantime, GM will be Zombie car and all GM owners will be teased for owning a zombie car. Pity the tax payers of USA for still further draining of their money into the Zombie car.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

US Afghan War

US Afghan war now about to enter the 8th year. In fact, one has to say, the war is being fought by NATO and not just US.
NATO is interestingly an alliance of 28 strong countries, which includes US, UK, Germany, Norway, Greece, Denmark, Turkey and the Eastern Block most countries .

Given the expertise of some of the most powerful armies in the world with the best artillery, fighter jets, espionage etc etc, the war in Afghanistan should have been over in 15 days. However, it is now going to be 8 years and let us read further what the Generals keep saying.

Every time you switch the TV on Afghan war news and one of the NATO generals will say, that NATO is loosing out the war in some places and is under control in some places.

NATO a powerful army of 28 nations with the most modern equipments and Taliban a Rag Tag Army .
NATO on Fighter Jets and Tanks and what not and Talibans riding the donkeys.
NATO has the technology to keep the whole country under surveillance and Taliban still managing to find routes for food, arms supplies and more.
NATO would have killed more civilians in the course of last 8 years, then the Talibans, despite the many cautionary notes given to the armies . Talibans anyway kill only civilians.

Is there any rational mind in this world, who can believe that the armies of 28 countries fighting a rag tag donkey riding Taliban and still announcing that they have been loosing out to the Talibans.

Well, if this is the case, then God alone can save most of these allied force countries, as a simple guerrilla organization can take over the full country in no time and none of them will ever be able to clean up the same.

For Countries like Afghanistan, you don't need a War Machine and a Trained Army for the clean up, all you need is to go to the African war torn countries and recruit the guerrilla warriors and ask them to do the clean up job for you. Within 6 months, the country is fully cleaned up and the Guerrilla's will put their new flag and call it Af-Ghana.

Much simpler then all the energies being drained by so many Presidents of the world in controlling Talibans.

It is sometimes the most simplest solutions , which are never thought about and used.

So many lives lost and so much annihilation and so many years and yet no sign of peace.

One thing is certain the Chief of NATO and Chief of US operations in Afghanistan surely need to be sacked for such a poor job performance.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Air France Jet Crash

First my sympathies with the Loss of the loved ones on this flight.

The mysterious accident is a puzzle, which someday National Geographic will show on its channel.

Many speculations so far. But let us wait till the debris is collected and some semblance of order is restored on the accident.

What sometimes puzzles me is the way, the accidents are either reported or addressed. The Air France plane disappeared after a certain time from the radar, so we know the time points and we know the speed of the aircraft and we know the path taken by the flight. So, what was so mysterious in locating the plane. Plus or Minus some miles and you cannot miss the plane.

And it took 2 days for the authorities to find out . And here I was making my Psyche work and announced that the plane debris would be around 467 kms from the Brazil shore. Hmmmmmm and I am wrong so far, it has been found 650 kms away. However, I should have done the maths myself and no need for a Psyche work.

However, sudden air accidents on account of storm or lightening is not really digestible by me. There is something more then that. I have had more then 1000 flights in my life and I know well, what happens in case of bad weather.

The only possible reason, which would come to my mind is that the fuel tank suddenly burst because of some short circuit , but not because of lightening, however, on account of some other failure and the plane went crashing. Otherwise, no matter how harsh the storm, the pilot always has time to manoeuvre and also sent distress signals.
The fuel tank burst would have ,most likely come out of air conditioning fault. Normal cause of over loading.

Let us wait and see, what the final reports are all about.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

General Motors. Du Pont, Citi Bank, etc

GM bankruptcy was predicted by me long back and from the first time Bush Doled out the first billion dollars package and then came the next tranche from Obama and now GM becomes the nationalized company with 60% Government owned .
If I was to just do a simple maths and work out the Dollars that were doled out to the GM to save the company. It would well have worked giving the Employees that much sum for Job Loss Compensation and people would have made hundreds of other small profitable businesses then saving a Junk Old company which anyway should have sunk under its own weight.

This reminds me of the film made by an American Documentary producer, who filmed the very first GM plant that was shut and moved to Mexico ( by the joker Robert Smitch, then MD ) and the plight of the people there. I guess the curse of people was so strong that today GM will be a History chapter.

No surprise for me , when such Mega Giant companies fail. The management structure of these companies is so inherently defective that most of the time, there is a war between the management functions itself. Finance against marketing against manufacturing against logistics etc etc. As for the Customer is concerned, he is the Top on the Holy Cow on all the slogans , but factually is only a Milking Cow. Suck it dry and leave it bones only.

Not that Toyoda cars were any great, but Toyoda is a far more disciplined organization. The cars have reliability built in it. Never will a car stop in the middle of nowhere for a component failure , nor is it a fuel guzzler , nor beast looking.

Well, GM fall is a very very long subject. But coming back, companies of this size are sure to sink, whether it is Enron or GM or DuPont or CitiBank.

I sent a mail to DuPont for a sample of Fluropolymer for my next product and now is more then a month, but the sales guy has not reverted, this is despite several reminders.

No wonder, DuPont Exited all the Textile fibre business, but it is not so far from being another GM.

CitiBank is still worse. The bank believes that it is bigger then its customers. Nothing can stop its collapse. Just watch for more time.

More on this subject later

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Guantanamo Bay

Guantanamo Bay : President Obama ordered its closure and hence the story of Guantanamo will soon be history. Why the Americans had to have an island of Non Judicial custody is not very clear. But whatever ,it created a black spot on its own very American Freedom Values and the statue of Liberty, with which the US is so famously known.

The GB will close down, but I found it very hilarious, when every country openly criticized the GB. I want to ask each and every at least Third World country, if they don't have a GB embedded in their own Prisons.

Let Amnesty International present a report on how many inmates in each country are without trial and for how many years.

Will now after the action of President Obama, each and every country allow a free access to Human Rights group to the prisons and check on how many more GB need to be shut down.

I am sure, interesting results will come out. while GB would have around 500 inmates in its peak, the rest each country will show a result far far higher then this number and third world the inmates could be unimaginable.

Hope, someday one and all GB are shut.

Interrogation Torture fails

Finally the Americans have confirmed that the Torture techniques do not support Interrogation . Whether it was Guantanamo Bay or it was Iraq prison or anywhere else in the world.
'
I love the Americans for at least one thing , which is utmost Honesty. If they err, they accept the mistakes and learn from it. Rest of the world keeps arguing and never accepts its mistakes. Nations consider utmost pride in defending their wrong actions.

I love USA.

Americans have confirmed that it was finally empathy which helps in extorting information and not shafting. I hope the rest of the world is learning out of this experience.

Interrogation is not an easy job, however, connecting to the person obviously helps in breaking him out.

Hopefully, US will further learn that it would be EMPATHY WITH NATIONS also which helps in bridging the distrust like the one now with North Korea and Iran.

Keep the Flag Flying High US.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Sri Lanka

Sri lanka has now shown to the whole world single handedly that how Guerrilla was can only be won by Military means.

LTTE was the most dangerous of Terrorist group and so well organized that they had a full fledged army, full top class weaponry, including air crafts and high motivation for conducting any crime in the name of Eelam.

LTTE invented Suicide Bombs, recruited child soldiers, recruited young girls to fight against the army, kept his own people deprived. Ran money laundering to finance the war, and the evils list is endless.

What could be a bigger shame that Prabhakaran was hiding behind walls, when Petticoat wearing young girls were fighting and giving their lives to protect his mission.

Many things to learn out LTTE
  1. If you do not allow a segment of society to come up equally, sooner or later, there would be a struggle and what shapes the struggle takes, nobody knows. Therefore the Govt of the day has to ensure that equal opportunities are provided to all sections of society, irrespective of class, caste, gender, ethnicity.
  2. If such a struggle does start, it has to be immediately corrected by way of extra benefits given to such group for at least sometime. Let them feel that they are now special at least and it has happened , because their voice was heard.
  3. If further , it goes out of hand and take a shape of violent no return, then there is no other way except to engage in eliminating the group altogether.

Sri Lanka and Russia have successfully finished LTTE and Chechan warlords.

Both cases the world cried foul, when the operations were being carried out. But those jokers, who cried foul, never come up to serve and offer their lives for those being killed for no reason by such groups.

The whole world was trying to press Sri lanka to stop the battle and if Srilanka would have stopped it , Prabhakaran and his goons would be still live to take up the next battle. Same old endless story.

Lesson to learn is that in times of Emergency and wars, nations have to stand by one another.

Also lesson to learn is that after a certain stage, it is only elimination of such groups, that brings about peace.

Pakistan is now struggling and fighting the same battle. Though in case of Pakistan, the Talibans are its own creation.

Again the lesson to learn is that any organization which once takes up arms is not an organization for political engagement ,but understand the fire power only. Whether it is in Spain or Ireland or Kashmir. If timely actions are not taken, these organizations then become draconian and uncontrollable.

However, a very clear line has to be established here. Some establishments like the Military rulers of Myanmar need a group to displace them.

Also, Human Rights have to be empowered and educated that in conflicts of asymmetric type, where was crimes cannot be identified, the rules of engangement has to be a very different kind.

Anyway, it is time US sends its top general from Afghanistan and Iraq to the military academy in Srilanka to learn, how Srilankans won over a ferocious Terrorist group .And Allied forces are still struggling to overpower under fed, illiterate, under armed and donkey riding Talibans against the Military power of US, Germany, UK , Canada, +++++++.

North Korea

Some of these Dictators and their lives have always fascinated me.

Kim Jong Il, 2, one of the most deeply respected Korean in the Korean Peninsula, now has announced his final weapon.

If you are flying close to North Korea, the thin air will sing a song in praise of Kim Jong Il, 2 , such is his control. If he would order his generals that the Sun has to rise from the West, it would actually happen the very next day.

What is most interesting is that the whole nation submits to him and nobody trust nobody for daring to dissent. Not even the top army generals.

If one was to go by BBC Happiness Index of societies in general and where Bhutan confirms that its Gross Happiness Index is higher then the rest of the world, then it has certainly missed out on North Korea. Though underfed malnutrioned, zero access to the rest of the world , zero materialism and being happy with whatever life has provided , yet contented and proud of being able to Keep the South Koreans and Americans out of their boundaries.

Having established the system in place, you need to then bring the rest of the world to your knees. Hence, Booooooooooooooooooooom and comes the Atom Bomb.

What is further interesting for me, how Pariah states, totally isolated from the rest of the world can still have access to Nuclear weapons. If it is so easy, then I reckon the world is soon going to be a very dangerous place. North Korea is still a state and may be contained, but private mafias and war lords and drug mafias do not have a boundary of operation.

Iran is another example, a nation now for more then 25 years under sanctions and so many of them that UN does not know, how to invent more sanctions against Iran. But Iran against North Korea is a very very different situation. Iran has shown resilience, had developed despite the sanctions and generally has a genuine happier society with the people having a right to dissent. Though dissent against the supreme leader can be dangerous , but so is it dangerous in any other country, if you are politically engaged.

Going back to North Korea, the first knee jerk reaction after the bomb is to call a UN security council meeting and look for another resolution. The security council has now run out of words and does not really know, what next sanction, then can put in place.
By the way, if UN is listening, I would strongly recommend that let UN be an Internet Global Organization and all meetings can take place online and with conference calls. As we tax payers are sick of paying for our diplomats flirting with words and making meaningless endless speeches at UN.
UN can have its own TV channel and let the countries debate over TV via satellite phones.

If only UN sanctions would work, Iran would have become bankrupt long back, Myanmar would have collapsed , North Korea would have had a civil war etc etc. Perhaps, Libya could be cited as the only one country, which fell in line because of sanctions. But again not on account of sanctions, however for the reincarnation of Gaddaffi.

Back to North Korea: So, what is the solution for North Korea. First of course US has to really think, what a mess it made out of the successful negotiations to dismantle the nuclear reactor.

It did not really give the Carrot, it promised to North Korea and antagonized the dear leader. The net result, now is total chaos.

The Americans believed that North Korea will collapse like Soviet Union , under its own weight. Totally misjudged, Soviet Union collapsed, because Gorbachev indirectly supported the collapse , though he himself wanted the economic recovery as per 1000 days plan. That is another long story.

North Korea is an extremely proud nation and has been enough brain conditioned that each of them will die for their dear leader, irrespective of what is the cause of war.

The way forward is to first accept that North Korea is a nuclear power and sent compliments to the dear leader for having successfully tested a nuclear bomb, despite the population starving and a bankrupt treasury.

Second, show patience for a while. I am an astrologer and hand reader. I have very extensively read his hand and forecast that dear Leader is already in his last stages. Either he would pass by November latest this year or he would not exceed his 70 th birthday any case.

It is sometime better to take help of ET , when mankind cannot resolve its own issues